The Baltimore Orioles will be without two starting pitchers for the rest of the 2024 season after both suffered elbow injuries.
Tyler Wells and John Means need surgery on their ulnar collateral ligament, commonly known as Tommy John Surgery. Both may not throw another pitch in the show until after the start of the 2025 season.
Last week, Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde said that Wells was about to begin throwing again, but that did not happen. He had been on the injured list since April 12. Means went on the list on May 23.
How will the team fare in their absence?
Orioles Starter John Means Had Surgery In 2022
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John Means had only started ten games and pitched only 53 innings over the past three full seasons after Tommy John surgery in 2022. He came back last season but wasn’t the same, and now he will miss at least another full year. Means will turn 32 when the 2025 season begins and may not be available until after opening day.
“I think it’s a strong likelihood,” Orioles General Manager Mike Elias said. “You get the repair, my understanding is that’s kind of roughly a 11, 12–month kind of thing, front to back, in terms of getting yourself back on TV, so to speak. It can be longer than that.”
Means was removed from his last start ten days ago after throwing just 51 pitches. He was put on the 15-day injury list with elbow soreness. In that May 22 start against the St. Louis Cardinals, he had trouble with his velocity.
Tyler Wells May Also Need Tommy John Surgery
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Orioles starter Tyler Wells had a difficult start to the 2024 season before suffering the injury. His ERA is nearly six and his WHIP stands at 1.37. Wells has been on the injured list since the middle of April after experiencing right elbow inflammation. Wells had his first Tommy John surgery in 2019 he was in the Minnesota Twins organization.
“It’s really disappointing,” Manager Brandon Hyde said. “Two guys you really pull for. We were hoping for better news.”
Elias said the two players will have their UCLs repaired. He said it’s not clear yet what type of surgery they’ll have.
Orioles Need Pitching Help Now
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Baltimore is now without three starters. The team put Dean Kremer on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain last week. The positive this season has been Corbin Burnes. The Cy Young winner has lived up to his reputation putting up a 2.35 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP so far this season.
The 2024 Baltimore Orioles were supposed to move into Major League Baseball’s elite category. The O’s won 101 games in 2023 and they returned with a lineup that may be even better this season.
Before the season started Orioles blog CamdenChat wrote “It’s no exaggeration to say that the expectations for the 2024 Orioles are the highest they’ve been in decades. And why not? Coming off a 101-win season and AL East title, the Birds’ roster seems just as strong, if not more so.”
About The Author
Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports are the NHL, MLB, and NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
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