Injuries & Moves: Mullins (groin) placed on IL
LATEST NEWS
May 30: CF Cedric Mullins (right groin strain) placed on 10-day IL; OF Aaron Hicks signed to Major League contract
Mullins went on the injured list a day after departing in the eighth inning of the Orioles' 5-0 loss to the Guardians at Camden Yards. The 28-year-old center fielder is expected to miss numerous weeks.
To help fill the hole in center field, Baltimore signed Hicks to a Major League deal and added him to its 26-man active roster. The 33-year-old switch-hitter brings 11 seasons of big league experience and provides the O's with a left-handed-hitting option to start in CF, something they no longer had without Mullins.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
CF Cedric Mullins (right groin strain)
Expected return: TBD
Mullins went on the IL on May 30, when general manager Mike Elias said he was hopeful the 28-year-old center fielder's absence would be "something best measured in weeks instead of months." Mullins sustained the groin strain on May 29, when he pulled up just ahead of first base while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning of a 5-0 loss to Cleveland. Elias said the injury could "maybe technically" be called a Grade 2 strain, although he didn't "want to go with some textbook timeline that might be out there for one of those."
"We’re going to try to get him healthy as soon as possible, and hopefully, it’s not that long," Elias said. (Last updated: May 30)
RHP Dillon Tate (right elbow flexor strain)
Expected return: Potentially June
Tate, who made 10 Minor League appearances during a 30-day rehab assignment from late April to late May, experienced a setback when he sustained a stress reaction in the elbow, general manager Mike Elias announced on May 26. Elias said the reaction was "separate from the previous injury" and that it "just flared up a little bit." Tate remained on the IL and will eventually go out on another rehab assignment, and Elias added he doesn't think it will keep the 29-year-old right-hander out for a lengthy period. (Last updated: May 26)
60-day IL
LHP John Means (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Potentially August
The Orioles had expected Means, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022, to potentially return by July. However, the 29-year-old left-hander's timeline was pushed back because he sustained a strain to his left teres major (a muscle in the scapula/upper back region) while slamming medicine balls during a workout in late May. General manager Mike Elias and Means are both optimistic the southpaw will still pitch for Baltimore this season.
"Disappointing, obviously, but at least it's not a throwing injury or anything like that," Means said on May 28. "At the same time, that makes it a little bit more frustrating." (Last updated: May 28)