Baltimore Orioles Provide Injury Updates to Several Key Players on Friday

As the Baltimore Orioles push for the playoffs, they announced several injury updates on Friday, including on outfielder Cedric Mullins and pitcher John Means.
Baltimore Orioles Provide Injury Updates to Several Key Players on Friday
Baltimore Orioles Provide Injury Updates to Several Key Players on Friday /
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The American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles announced several injury updates to key players on Friday.

The following updates come from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

First, on outfielder Cedric Mullins:

Mullins (groin) appears on course to return in early August, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
The 28-year-old has been sidelined for nearly two weeks with a groin injury but recently advanced to running. It's not clear whether Mullins will require a rehab assignment before returning, but Orioles general manager Mike Elias expects the outfielder to be with the big club for a "large part of August."

The 28-year-old is hitting .259 this year with nine homers, 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Lifetime, he's a .262 hitter with 62 home runs.

He hit 30 home runs back in the 2019 season and is a source of speed and power for the O's dynamic offense, so getting him back for the stretch run could be a critical development.

Next, on left-handed pitcher John Means:

Means (elbow/back) could begin a rehab assignment with the Orioles' Florida Complex League affiliate by early August, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
Means suffered a back injury in late May which sidetracked his Tommy John rehab. He's back in a groove now, though, and nearly game ready. The hope is that he can be an option for the Orioles by early September.

Through the lean years in Baltimore, Means was the ace of the staff, so getting him back could be a nice boost to either the rotation or the bullpen. 

He won 12 games in an All-Star season in 2019, has thrown a no-hitter in his career and has 20 career victories. He owns a lifetime 3.81 ERA.

And finally, on top prospect Jackson Holliday, who is the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball.

Holliday will be sidelined several days at Double-A Bowie due to an illness, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

ANALYSIS
Holliday has yet to be challenged at any level, including Bowie, where he's posted a .924 OPS in his first 10 games. He'll need a little breather to get well, though, before trying to finish strong in what is his first full pro season.

The Orioles are playing the Yankees this weekend.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.