CHICAGO -- When the Guardians signed John Means to a one-year deal this spring with a club option for 2026, it opened the possibility that the lefty could contribute down the stretch and take on a larger role for Cleveland next year.
Cleveland signed Means on Feb. 19, about eight months after he underwent Tommy John surgery last June. The lefty has continued his recovery this season, and on Saturday he took a key step in his progression.
Means tossed two innings in a “bridge” game at the Guardians’ complex in Goodyear, Ariz. It marked his first game action since he underwent surgery.
Bridge games are played between the end of the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League season and the start of the Arizona Fall League season.
“[He] pitched really well but [he also] felt great, so that's a really good sign,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
One of the potential next steps for Means, 32, could include joining one of the Guardians’ Minor League affiliates for a rehab assignment. He was first set to be evaluated by Cleveland’s training and medical staff in Arizona on Sunday, Vogt noted, and the team will know Means’ next steps after.
In a perfect-world scenario, if Means’ rehab process continues to go well, he could be an option for the Guardians this season. The biggest key, of course, is how he is feeling physically.
“A hundred percent,” Vogt said. “We have to finish the rehab. There's no rushing it. We don't have a date in mind or anything like that. So it’s step by step. But in a perfect world, he's back healthy and he could be an option for us down the stretch.”
Means has been one of the game’s finest lefty starters when healthy. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has a career 3.68 ERA in 78 games (73 starts), all of which have come with Baltimore.
He has made 10 starts since the beginning of the 2022 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery for the first time in April ‘22, and he noted this spring he signed with the Guardians in part due to their familiarity working with pitchers in similar situations as his.
Cleveland helped guide Matthew Boyd through the end of his Tommy John surgery recovery last season, after Boyd signed a one-year deal on June 29. The Guardians also re-signed Shane Bieber on Dec. 11 last offseason and were guiding his Tommy John recovery, before they traded him to the Blue Jays ahead of the Trade Deadline on July 31.