It’s been nearly 17 months since John Means last appeared in a major league game. The lefty exited an April 2022 start against the Milwaukee Brewers with forearm pain and had Tommy John surgery later that month. Originally expected back this past July, a setback in May pushed his potential return, but now it appears imminent. However, manager Brandon Hyde did confirm that Means will make one final start before his rehab assignment concludes.
It remains unclear what Means’ exact role will be upon his return. His most recent rehab outing saw him toss 86 pitches over five innings, which certainly sounds like a starter’s workload, but could translate to multi-inning relief work as well.