Baltimore Orioles All-Star Pitcher Not Expected Back Until April

The Baltimore Orioles received some terrible news to begin their offseason when it was announced Kyle Bradish would start the year on the injured list.

It's a tough way to kick off the year after so much excitement had been built following the acquisition of Corbin Burnes that made the top three of their rotation one of the best in baseball.

Without Bradish, others in the rotation will have to step up.

This will be a whole lot more difficult for the Orioles to accomplish after it was revealed John Means is also missing the early portion of the season as he continues to recover from his Tommy John surgery.

The left-hander underwent the procedure in May 2022, only making two starts that season. Means returned late in 2023, but only started four games.

Now, the 30-year-old is expected to miss some time once again.

"... He's just a little bit late with his normal throwing program progression. And so, he's about a month behind ... If all things work out, sometime in April. I think that's what we're planning on," manager Brandon Hyde said according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.

This is another blow to Baltimore's starting rotation.

Means was incredible his rookie season in 2019, being selected to the All-Star game and finishing runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting after posting an ERA of 3.60 across 31 appearances and 27 starts, with an ERA+ of 131.

He continued to put up good seasons and had a memorable no-hitter in 2021, but since that point, he's been working his way back from the elbow surgery that has limited him for the past two years.

Once Means makes his return, Hyde and the Orioles aren't expecting to put an innings limit on him. He'll have the green light to go out there and pitch.

But how he looks when he's on the mound in 2024 is to be seen.