Elbow soreness prevents Means from joining Orioles' ALDS roster (plus lineups)

John Means isn’t on the Orioles roster for the American League Division Series due to elbow soreness that cropped up after Thursday’s simulated game at Camden Yards.

Manager Brandon Hyde expressed confidence that Means would be ready for the Championship Series if the Orioles advance to the next round.

“Felt like he needed a few days off,” Hyde said.

“Meansy was going to be a candidate to start one of these games and it means we got … We feel great about our starting pitching depth. And Dean (Kremer) and Kyle Gibson both threw the ball extremely well this year. We're hoping that John can take a few days off, rehab, and hopefully if we can advance that he'll be available for the next series.

Hyde said the soreness isn’t “concerning.”

“I know he's disappointed,” Hyde said. “He threw a two-inning sim game a couple of days ago and didn't feel right. Pretty normal after a Tommy John process, and he's thrown the ball extremely well. And we don't want to take any chances honestly with it.

“If you put him on the roster, he's tough to replace, all those kind of things that happen. We felt the right thing to do was give him a few days off and get him ready for the Championship Series if we advance."

Hyde isn’t ready to announce is Game 3 starter.

The ALDS roster includes only 12 pitchers, with Hyde keeping the same 14 position players who ended the regular season. Relievers Shintaro Fujinami and Cole Irvin were dropped, and Bryan Baker was added.

Here’s the roster:

Pitchers
Kyle Bradish
Grayson Rodriguez
Kyle Gibson
Dean Kremer
Yennier Cano
Danny Coulombe
Cionel Pérez
DL Hall
Jack Flaherty
Tyler Wells
Jacob Webb
Bryan Baker

Catchers
Adley Rutschman
James McCann

Infielders
Ryan Mountcastle
Gunnar Henderson
Jordan Westburg
Ryan O’Hearn
Adam Frazier
Jorge Mateo
Ramón Urías

Outfielders
Austin Hays
Cedric Mullins
Anthony Santander
Aaron Hicks
Heston Kjerstad

For the Orioles
Austin Hays LF
Adley Rutschman C
Anthony Santander DH
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Gunnar Henderson SS
Aaron Hicks RF
Jordan Westburg 2B
Cedric Mullins CF
Ramón Urías 3B

Kyle Bradish RHP

The Rangers waited until after yesterday’s workout to announce left-hander Andrew Heaney as their Game 1 starter. Heaney is 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.378 WHIP this season in 34 games (28 starts). He owns a 7.63 ERA and 1.565 WHIP in seven career games (six starts) against the Orioles totaling 30 2/3 innings.

Jorge Mateo is 4-for-7 with a home run against Heaney, but he’s out of the lineup. Hays is 4-for-8 with a double and two home runs, and Mountcastle is 3-for-6 with a double and two home runs.

The Orioles will face lefties in the first two games, including Jordan Montgomery on Sunday.

Max Scherzer isn’t on the Rangers’ ALDS roster after throwing a simulated game yesterday and creating speculation about his inclusion.

For the Rangers
Marcus Semien 2B
Corey Seager SS
Robbie Grossman DH
Adolis García RF
Evan Carter LF
Jonah Heim C
Nathaniel Lowe 1B
Josh Jung 3B
Leody Taveras CF

Andrew Heaney LHP