The Cleveland Guardians have placed pitcher John Means (elbow) on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Mar. 24. Means is unlikely to rejoin the team until late in the year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in June. It was the second Tommy John surgery the 31-year-old required on his left elbow. He's proved a capable pitcher before, compiling a 3.62 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 146.2 innings in 2021, and held a strong 2.61 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched before hurting his elbow in 2024. There's still a chance Means won't pitch in 2025. He can be left on waivers for the time being. Even if Means hits no snags in his recovery process, he may not be a factor on the field until September.

The Cleveland Guardians agreed with free-agent left-hander John Means (elbow) on a one-year deal worth $1 million guaranteed on Monday, a source told ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. The deal includes a club option for the 2026 season that is worth up to $7.5 million with no buyout. Means is recovering from the second Tommy John surgery of his career on his left elbow and isn't expected to make his debut with Cleveland until sometime in August, which makes him avoidable in most 2025 fantasy leagues. Depending on how the 31-year-old southpaw's recovery goes this year, there's a chance he doesn't pitch at all in 2025. He has made only 10 starts in the big leagues since the 2022 season due to injuries, although he was an All-Star in 2019 with the Baltimore Orioles and finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, free-agent starting pitcher John Means (elbow) is in advanced talks with the Cleveland Guardians. Means underwent his second Tommy John surgery last June and is not expected to return to the mound early in the 2025 campaign. Before the surgery, he logged 20 2/3 innings with the Baltimore Orioles. During this small stint, he posted a 2.61 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Following the 2021 campaign, Means has logged just 52 1/3 innings in the major leagues. However, in 2021, the southpaw held a solid 3.62 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP across 146 2/3 innings of work. He tallied 134 punchouts and served up just 30 free passes. If Means were to finalize a deal with Cleveland, fantasy managers could expect him to push for a late-season return. However, given his unknown timetable, he should not be targeted in any fantasy formats.

According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports, free-agent pitcher John Means (elbow) is not expected to sign a contract for the 2025 season anytime soon. The left-hander underwent his second Tommy John surgery last June, and according to Kubatko, the industry perception is that Means will not find a suitor until much later in the offseason. Kubatko noted that the Orioles have not closed the door on a potential reunion. Last summer, the southpaw logged just 20 2/3 innings before being shut down. However, he was quite productive, posting a 2.61 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He struck out 16 batters but showed elite command with a near-perfect 2.6% walk rate. In 2023, Means also logged just 23 frames and held a similar 2.66 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his progress, but he will likely not return to the mound until late in the 2025 season.

A day after landing left-hander Garrett Crochet, the Boston Red Sox are apparently still looking for pitching. They've been linked to the Mariners with intentions of acquiring one of their rotation pieces, presumably right-hander Luis Castillo, but have also reportedly been in talks with former Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow). The 31-year-old was an All-Star in 2019 and was second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season. However, it has been a challenge for him to stay healthy in recent years. From 2022 through 2024, the lefty has pitched a total of 52 1/3 innings after two Tommy John surgeries derailed those campaigns. Means had the second surgery in June 2024, so the southpaw likely won't be available until the second half of the 2025 season. Whenever he does make it back, with a career K/9 of just 7.5, he'd likely only help in other areas like ERA and WHIP for fantasy managers.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow) underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career on Monday, and his second such operation in two years. The recovery timeline is 12 to 18 months, meaning that Means will miss the rest of this season and at least half of 2025. The 31-year-old southpaw is set to be a free agent after the 2024 campaign, so it's a really bad time for him to have another elbow reconstruction. His first Tommy John surgery came in April of 2022. Given the lengthy rehab he has in front of him, Means is likely to remain on the free-agent market for a while before interested teams take a chance on him for 2025 and beyond. Means was a first-time All-Star back in 2019, but the elbow injuries continue to mount and he's made just 10 starts for Baltimore since the start of the 2022 season.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow) will miss the rest of the season, according to general manager Mike Elias. Means is set to undergo left-elbow surgery, but Elias said it's not yet known whether he'll have Tommy John surgery. That won't be known until Means goes in for his season-ending procedure. The 31-year-old had been seeking a second opinion after landing on the 15-day injured list last Thursday with a left-forearm strain. It's the same injury that caused him to get a late start to the 2024 season. Means has already had Tommy John surgery once in his career, but this time around he could have an internal-brace procedure. Either way, the veteran southpaw is going to miss the rest of this year and most likely half of the 2025 campaign. Fantasy managers that had been stashing him can cut bait in redraft leagues.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (forearm) will be seeking a second opinion on his throwing elbow according to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. On Thursday the Orioles placed Means on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain, the same strain that caused him to miss the beginning of the season. Given that the forearm injury is now causing concern for his throwing elbow, it's not a great sign for the lefty. Means could likely stay on the injured list for much longer than 15 days if the second opinion delivers similar news as the first opinion. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Means to be active any time in the near future.

The Baltimore Orioles placed left-hander John Means (forearm) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a left-forearm strain and recalled right-hander Jonathan Heasley from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. The frustration around Means continues after he was forced to leave his start on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals early due to a flare-up with his left forearm. The 31-year-old southpaw got a late start to the 2024 campaign due to a similar issue with his arm, so fantasy managers should expect him to miss more than the 15 days on the IL. The O's are likely to play it safe with Means at this point, although hopefully he'll be able to return to Baltimore's starting rotation before the All-Star break in mid-July. With Means now sidelined again, it's likely that Cole Irvin will take his rotation spot.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (elbow) has been removed early during Wednesday's outing against the St. Louis Cardinals. The left-hander saw a decrease in velocity during his three innings before being taken out of the contest. The team is calling it left elbow discomfort, so the expectation is that Means will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the issue. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on his status.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (1-0) allowed three hits and no walks while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Means started the season on the injured list after having a setback on his surgically repaired left elbow. Means picked up his first victory of the season. He completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk and made his 2024 debut on Saturday against the Reds. He was stellar in Saturday's win, blanking the Reds over seven innings on 85 pitches. The 31-year-old owned a 2.66 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 10:4 K: BB across 23 2/3 innings in 2023. Means will look to build on Saturday's performance at his next start on Friday against the Seattle Mariners.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (forearm), who was activated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, will make his 2024 season debut on Saturday against the Reds in Cincinnati. Although the 31-year-old lefty has been bothered by injuries in recent seasons, he's worth a flier in mixed fantasy leagues now that he's back in Baltimore's starting rotation. The matchup in Cincinnati against the Reds in his first start isn't the greatest spot to roll him out there, but his final minor-league rehab start should have fantasy managers encouraged that he can transfer it into his first big-league start of the year. Means struck out eight over seven shutout innings for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. He was an All-Star for the O's back in 2019 and placed second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season.

The Baltimore Orioles activated left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. We knew that the O's planned to activate Means at some point this week, but now it's official. The 31-year-old southpaw will take the rotation spot of the injured Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) for now, but eventually one of Albert Suarez or Cole Irvin will get booted from the rotation when right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) returns this week. It's unclear yet when Means will make his season debut for the O's. If it doesn't come in the series finale on Thursday against the New York Yankees, it should come this weekend in a series against the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. He struck out eight hitters and threw 95 pitches in his final minor-league rehab start, so Means shouldn't be limited at all from a pitch-count perspective.

The Baltimore Orioles plan to activate left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list this week to make his 2024 season debut, according to manager Brandon Hyde. It's unclear exactly what day Means will make his his return to Baltimore's starting rotation, but the best bet is on Friday in Cincinnati against the Reds. That wouldn't be the greatest matchup for the 31-year-old southpaw for fantasy streamers, but he did look good in his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk, tossing seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. Right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) is also on track to make his season debut for the O's this week, so both Cole Irvin and Albert Suarez will soon be bumped from the team's rotation.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (forearm) will make another minor-league rehab appearance on Sunday, and he should then join the big-league roster soon after. It's been a lengthy stint with Triple-A Norfolk for Means, who will make his sixth and final start before rejoining Baltimore's rotation to make his 2024 regular-season debut in Week 5 of fantasy baseball. He would appear set to get the ball sometime next weekend during a three-game set on the road with the Cincinnati Reds, which is a far less favorable environment for his first start off the injured list then if he were throwing at home against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Veteran right-hander Albert Suarez has launched 11 1/3 scoreless frames with nine strikeouts in two starts for the O's and will now take the hill in Sunday's tasty matchup instead, making him a strong pickup to wrap up Week 4.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde says the team is discussing whether starting pitcher John Means' (forearm) next start will come in Triple-A Norfolk or for the major-league club. The O's don't have a starter scheduled for Sunday's series finale versus the visiting Oakland Athletics, so there's a chance Means makes his 2024 regular-season debut in that one. While the 31-year-old left-hander struggled mightily with a 13.89 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, and 14:6 K:BB over 11 2/3 innings (five starts) during his minor-league rehab assignment, a matchup at home against the lowly A's would certainly put him on the streaming radar right off the bat in fantasy leagues. Means is on the mend from a strained left forearm, but if he needs one last rehab appearance, veteran right-hander Albert Suarez has fired 11 1/3 scoreless frames with nine strikeouts in two starts for Baltimore and would get the ball on Sunday instead.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals that starting pitcher John Means (forearm) still needs to get stretched out more in his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. Means' fourth rehab start on Wednesday compounded on his recent struggles, as he was blown up for five earned runs in one-third of an inning. He's now given up 15 runs (five homers) and five walks in 7 1/3 innings in the minors, so the O's likely want to see him sharpen things up before considering activating him from the injured list. The 30-year-old left-hander is working his way back from a strained left forearm and should still be able to rejoin Baltimore's rotation in late April or early May. After posting a 2.66 ERA (5.24 FIP) and 0.71 WHIP with 10 K's over 23 2/3 frames (four starts) late last season, Means is someone to consider stashing in mixed fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (elbow) gave up two runs in three innings in Thursday's rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk, allowing two hits and two walks while fanning three. Means allowed one run in three innings in his last rehab appearance after getting blown up for seven runs back on March 31, so he's starting to show signs of improvement while recovering from a right forearm strain. Manager Brandon Hyde has previously stated Means' rehab assignment will last close to the full 30 days, so the 30-year-old former All-Star won't be available for the O's likely until early May. Means missed most of the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, but he produced a solid 2.66 ERA (5.24 FIP), 0.71 WHIP, and 10:4 K:BB across 23 2/3 innings after returning late last year and is a decent stash in all fantasy leagues. The struggling Cole Irvin is the most likely candidate to be bounced from Baltimore's rotation upon Means' return.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (elbow) gave up seven runs on six hits across a single inning of work during Sunday's rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk. Means gave up two homers while striking out two batters and walking one. It was not the start to the season that Means was hoping for, but the fact he did not suffer further injury is the most important thing. Assuming there are no more setbacks in his future rehab starts, Means could return to the Orioles by late April. He may have some streaming appeal in 2024, but he will surely be on an innings limit this season. Means has only tossed 31 2/3 innings at the big league level since 2022.