The Baltimore Orioles have proven themselves to be a top contender in the American League East, and it seems like they are set for a summer-long battle for the division crown with the New York Yankees. Injuries have played a role in the O's starting rotation for much of the year, and the latest update on John Means indicates that will likely continue to be the case moving forward.

Means missed the start of the 2024 campaign with a left forearm strain, but he managed to make a return to the mound early in May, and he looked solid over his first four starts of the season (2-0, 2.61 ERA, 16 K, 0.87 WHIP). Means was forced out of his latest start on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals early, though, and the team announced on Friday morning that he will be headed back to the injured list with the same left forearm strain injury that he was dealing with earlier in the season.

Orioles hoping John Means can eventually overcome his injury woes

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (47) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

After Means broke out in 2019 and earned himself an All-Star selection and a second-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year race, he has struggled to stay on the mound for Baltimore. He's made just 46 total starts over the past five seasons now, and 26 of those came in 2021, so he's barely been on the mound in those other four campaigns.

It seemed like Means was back for good for Baltimore, but his injury woes just simply won't go away. The hope is he won't have to miss much time on the injured list, but the O's aren't going to push him to rush back to the mound. There is still a lot of baseball to play, so having Means down the stretch for a potential playoff push is more important than rushing him back onto the mound in June.

With Means out for the time being, the Orioles called Jonathan Heasley back up to the majors from Triple-A. Heasley has experience in the majors, but he's consistently struggled during his time in the big leagues, and his numbers through his first four outings of the year are rather ugly (0-1, 16.88 ERA, 4 K, 2.44 WHIP). But Baltimore needed someone to come up and fill their pitching staff in, and it looks like Heasley will be that guy.

Heasley will operate out of the bullpen, with Cole Irvin likely shifting back to the starting rotation after he began the season as part of that group before making way for Means and Kyle Bradish. Irvin has been solid so far this season (4-2, 3.15 ERA, 30 K, 1.10 WHIP), so the hope is that the team won't skip a beat as he steps back into the rotation with Means sidelined.

This isn't an ideal situation for Baltimore, but they are well-positioned to absorb this blow for the time being. No one knows how long John Means will be out for, but he will be given as much time as he needs to get healthy. And as long as he can make a return at some point this season and stay on the mound for the Orioles, his absence shouldn't end up hurting them too badly.