There was a time when John Means was arguably the best player on Baltimore Orioles teams that were not competitive at all, and he had Tommy John surgery right as the Orioles were ready to compete. Now, with a target return date of Sept. 1, John Means is gearing up to contribute on a team that is in the race to win the American League East.

“I'll be the freshest arm out there,” Means said, via Roch Kubatko of MASN. “That's the goal.”

The Orioles are a team loaded with young talent, that has more waiting in the wings in their farm system. They will undoubtedly be adding to their team at the trade deadline. Means could be returning to a World Series contender by September. He said he would be willing to play any role that the team needs.

“Just kind of depends on what we need,” Means said, via Kubatko. “I just want to be back and throwing, honestly. Hoping to start, obviously, just because that's what I'm used to, but with this team doing well, who knows?”

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It will be a great moment when Means returns to the mound in a game for the Orioles, whether that be as a starting pitcher or out of the bullpen. He is working to get back as fast as possible.

“I couldn't be happier for the guys in here,” Means said, via Kubatko. “It obviously sucks to not be exactly playing and being part of it on the field, and my motivation every day is to try to get back out there and play for a winning club.”

It will be interesting to see when Means is ready to return to game action.