Orioles’ John Means undergoes second Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery

TORONTO — Orioles left-hander John Means underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery on Monday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, the club announced. Dr. Keith Meister, who performed Means’ first Tommy John procedure in 2022, completed the surgery in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s a big blow and I know that he tried to try to gut through that day in St. Louis,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Unfortunately, a lot of Tommy John’s happening right now and, talking to Means, I thought it was really admirable how hard he worked to come back and it’s just really disappointing to see him having to miss another significant amount of time after this next one.”

The Orioles placed Means on the injured list with a forearm strain on May 23 after he left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals the previous day having only pitched three innings. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias announced Friday that both Means and Tyler Wells, who had been out since April 16 with elbow inflammation, would soon undergo season-ending elbow surgery.

For Means, that meant a second Tommy John surgery, a massive blow for a player who went 517 days between starts from 2022 to 2023 and had to miss the playoffs last season because of a flare-up in his elbow. The 31-year-old is only signed through 2024 and might have to enter his first free agency with an injury that will force him to miss most of 2025, if not all of it. Tommy John surgeries have a typical rehabilitation timeline of about 12 to 18 months.

Means has thrown 52 1/3 innings over the past three seasons and 401 in his seven-year MLB career, all with the Orioles. The 2019 American League All-Star has a career 3.68 ERA.

Kremer throws bullpen session

Right-hander Dean Kremer threw his first bullpen session on Monday in Toronto since straining his triceps. Hyde described the session as “light” but said it went according to plan. Kremer is expected to require a rehab stint in the minor leagues before he’s ready to return, Elias said in his news conference Friday.

Kremer, 28, has a 4.32 ERA in nine starts this season. He also got hurt in St. Louis, leaving his start against the Cardinals on May 20 after giving up five runs on six hits and three walks over four innings. Albert Suárez has started in his place for the last two turns of the Orioles’ rotation, allowing one earned run in nine innings as he’s transitioned back to a starting role.