Ever since John Means was removed from his most recent Orioles start on a night where he was displaying diminished velocity, and especially since he was placed on the injured list with elbow soreness, there was one outcome to fear above all. It’s the same outcome to always fear when pitchers have elbow problems: A tear in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) requiring major surgery that ends the pitcher’s season.
On Friday afternoon, Mike Elias delivered this expected bad news: Means has UCL damage and will soon be getting season-ending surgery to repair it. Not only did he deliver this update about Means, but at the same time he revealed that Tyler Wells, who last pitched for the Orioles on April 12, has a tear in his UCL as well and is headed for surgery.