Guardians add Means (TJ surgery) for 1 year, with '26 option

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- John Means will be continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery under the employ of the Cleveland Guardians, who on Wednesday signed the veteran left-hander to a one-year Major League deal that includes a club option for 2026.

Means had Tommy John surgery last June, which means he won’t be an immediate option for the club’s rotation. But the contract puts him in position to possibly impact the club later this year and potentially remain with the Guardians when he is able to take on a larger workload next season.

Injury trouble has stalled the career of the 31-year-old Means, who at one time was considered the burgeoning ace of the Baltimore Orioles. He has pitched only 52 1/3 innings at the MLB level since the start of 2022 because of two separate Tommy John procedures.

Prior to the injuries, Means had been the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up back in 2019. On May 5, 2021, he threw an unusual no-hitter and near-perfect game when he retired all 27 Mariners batters faced in a game in Seattle, with the only baserunner coming on a third-strike wild pitch in the third inning.

In seven MLB seasons -- all with the O’s -- Means has a career 23-26 record with a 3.68 ERA, 123 ERA+ (23% better than league average) and 4.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

To make room for Means on their 40-man roster, the Guardians placed David Fry on the 60-day injured list.