Orioles’ pitching depth takes notable hits with Means, Wells out for rest of season

BALTIMORE — The Orioles entered Friday on pace to win 105 games despite John Means and Tyler Wells accounting for just seven starts and 36 of their 489 total innings pitched this season, meaning neither had been particularly consequential to their 2024 success.

Of course, it’s navigating the remaining 108 games on the schedule that makes their loss feel more substantial with general manager Mike Elias announcing each would undergo season-ending surgery to his pitching elbow. Means hadn’t pitched since exiting his May 22 start in St. Louis while Wells had been rehabbing in Sarasota since going on the 15-day injured list in mid-April.

Both will have “revision repair to their ulnar collateral ligaments” in the near future, according to Elias. It’s particularly disappointing for Means, who has made just eight major league starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow only 25 months ago. Means seemed poised to be part of Baltimore’s postseason rotation after a successful return to the majors last September, but elbow soreness led to him being shut down ahead of the American League Division Series and deep into the offseason, prompting his late start to 2024.

Wells underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow back in 2019.

“This is tough news for both of these guys,” Elias said. “They’ve got a lot of time and work ahead of them now, and rehabbing is very lonely. It’s a lot different than playing up here every day. It’s not something that you want to see anybody who plays this game go through, but it’s unfortunately a big part of being a pitcher right now. They’re both really tough guys who have overcome this before, and they both have youth on their side. I’m optimistic for both of them.”

Already in a tight race with the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East, the Orioles must now navigate the final four months of the regular season with two fewer options for their staff. Means had already made an impact by pitching to a 2.61 ERA over his four starts this season while many had tabbed Wells as an intriguing late-inning relief option before the absences of Means and right-hander Kyle Bradish pushed him to the rotation to open 2024. Wells made only three starts before he began feeling inflammation and continued feeling eblow discomfort when attempting to throw in Sarasota.

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The Orioles are also currently missing right-handed starter Dean Kremer, but Elias reiterated his right triceps strain isn’t expected to keep him out too much longer and “would not rule him out for late in the month of June” for a return. Meanwhile, the return of Bradish has been very encouraging to this point with the 2023 ace of the staff pitching seven no-hit innings in Chicago last Sunday and posting a 1.75 ERA over five starts since returning from a UCL sprain discovered in January.

Unfortunately, Means and Wells are the latest pitchers to deal with serious arm injuries around the sport.

“It’s just something that you always plan for,” Elias saids. “I think usually baseball teams try to go into spring training with eight or nine starting-pitching options, and now we’re down a couple. Fortunately, I think our staff did a good job finding a guy like [Albert] Suarez … and we have other pitchers in Triple-A that we’re looking at very closely and are poised to help this team coming up.

“Knock on wood, I still feel pretty good about the starting pitching options that we have at the moment, but we’ll obviously monitor things and continue to see what happens both internally and externally over the next couple months before closing the book on our starting situation.”

One of those Triple-A options is Cade Povich, who Elias said is “on the tip of our tongues right now” in terms of discussing a promotion. The 24-year-old has pitched to a 2.35 ERA in 10 starts covering 53 2/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk, averaging 11.9 strikeouts and 3.2 walks per nine innings.

Many had already been clamoring for the Orioles to add late-inning bullpen help, but Friday’s news likely increases the need to add another starter to at least fortify the back half of the rotation.

With both Means and Wells having previously undergone Tommy John surgery, it remains to be seen what procedure each will have with more and more pitchers undergoing UCL repair with internal brace surgery, which can lead to a quicker return to the mound.

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“Both John and Tyler are going to be having their ligaments repaired. When that happens, you don’t quite know which surgery is going to be the ultimate solution until they start the surgery,” Elias said. “There’s a possibility of some different timeframes right now based on what exactly takes place once they start the arthroscopic surgery. But suffice to say, they’re getting work done on their ligaments, and that’s going to knock them out for the rest of this year.”

Wells remains under club control through the 2027 season.

With the 31-year-old Means scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, it’s possible that he’s thrown his final pitch with the Orioles. It would be an unfortunate end to his run in Baltimore after the former 11th-round pick was one of the early success stories of the organization’s multiyear rebuild, earning an All-Star nod in 2019 and throwing the club’s first solo no-hitter in 52 years in 2021.

“The first step is taking care of this, and we’re going to support him,” said Elias about Means’ future. “We have a long relationship, and he’s a special member of this organization just given everything that he’s done. Obviously, we talk a lot, so I’m sure we’ll be dialoguing with him as we get him back on his feet medically.

“He’s going to make it back. He’s a big, strong guy, and once he gets this elbow injury fully behind him — which hasn’t really been the case it seems like going back into last year — I think he’s got a lot of really good pitching ahead of him.”

Westburg still on mend

Infielder Jordan Westburg remained out of the lineup Friday after being hit on the right hand by a 95-mph sinker from Boston starter Brayan Bello on Tuesday.

Westburg was able to finish that game, but he sat out Wednesday’s finale with the Red Sox and wasn’t in the starting lineup as the Orioles opened a three-game set with Tampa Bay.

“He feels a lot better today. It’s still a little sore, but I’m hoping he can be in there the next couple days,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I’m hoping he’s available maybe off the bench tonight. We’ll see.”