Orioles spring training leftovers for breakfast

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first wave of John Means’ news in camp arrived on the first day, with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias indicating to the gathered media that the former All-Star was a month behind the other starters and probably would begin the season on the injured list.

Nothing with the elbow that qualified as a setback. Just a lengthy delay in clearance to begin his throwing program.

At that time, the Orioles seemed to be aiming for an early April return to the rotation.

The next splash came earlier this week with manager Brandon Hyde confirming that Means wouldn’t pitch in an exhibition game.

The club is arranging live batting practice outings for Means, who also could start in simulated games on the back fields. But he’ll need to go on an injury rehab assignment before the Orioles activate him.

“I trust their schedule,” Means said Wednesday afternoon. “I feel really good right now and I’m just going to take it day by day.”

Means remains hopeful that he can pitch for the Orioles next month.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said.

“I should be able to get most of the live BPs in this camp.”

* Michael Pérez has caught both of Albert Suárez’s appearances this spring, enabling him to provide a perspective that others in camp are lacking.

Pérez, signed to a minor league deal in late December, set the target when Suárez retired all six Twins batters that he faced on Feb. 28 in Fort Myers, striking out two of them. And again Tuesday against the Phillies in Clearwater, when Suárez started and registered three scoreless innings with two hits allowed, no walks and seven strikeouts.

One of the longest shots to break camp with the team is forcing everyone to notice him.

Súarez, 34, hasn’t been in the majors since 2017 with the Giants, and he later pitched in Japan and Korea. The Orioles sign him in September 2023 and announced his new deal in December, on the same day as Pérez’s.

“I didn’t know about the (seven) strikeouts until I saw the video highlights,” Pérez said on Wednesday. “That was impressive. His fastball is around 97, 96, pretty heavy.

“The thing that I like about him is, at that age, he’s got great stuff. Everything is good, everything is around the zone. If he misses, it’s very close. He’s got feel with his pitches, everything. You don’t see that very often with pitchers. He can throw any pitch in any count.

“He’s been very good, very impressive, and good for him. Hopefully, he continues doing that during the season, whether he’s in the big leagues or wherever.”

* Veteran closer Craig Kimbrel made his second spring appearance Monday against the Twins in Sarasota and allowed four runs and five hits in the fourth inning. Emmanual Rodriguez homered on the first pitch, the exit velocity registering 114.6 mph.

The Pirates scored a run off Kimbrel in his debut, and he’s carrying a 22.50 ERA and 3.500 ERA.

The results may sting the ego a little, but Kimbrel isn’t fighting to make the team. He’s prepping for Opening Day, working on his mechanics and reducing time between pitches to compensate for a quicker pitch clock. He may attack a hitter differently in March than May.

The guy is a veteran of 14 major league seasons. The Orioles trust his approach to camp.

Hyde checked on Kimbrel the following day and the right-hander felt good physically. No one is worried.

Adley Rutschman caught Kimbrel Monday and is learning about his new teammate’s plan for getting ready and how he can assist.

“He’s been doing this longer than I have,” Rutschman said. “I’m just there to help figure out what we want to work on, what we want to do, what’s going to best prepare him for the start of the season. We’re just talking through stuff.

“There’s definitely things we’re trying to get better at in camp and be ready for the season. He’s obviously done this for a long time and knows his recipe for success a lot better than I do.”

The bonding between them is ongoing, one of the most important components of camp.

“It’s been super fun so far,” Rutschman said. “He’s a great guy. I heard nothing but great things about him. It’s been super fun to get to know him in camp. Obviously, a phenomenal pitcher, so a lot of great things to say about him.”