Orioles' Means, Rangers' Scherzer left off ALDS rosters due to injuries
The Baltimore Orioles' and Texas Rangers' rosters for the American League Division Series have some notable omissions.
Both left-hander John Means and right-hander Max Scherzer were absent when the rosters were announced by their respective teams on Saturday.
Means will sit out the series after experiencing elbow discomfort during a simulated game earlier this week, manager Brandon Hyde said, according to The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes.
Hyde expects Means to be available for the American League Championship Series should the Orioles advance past the Rangers.
The 30-year-old Means returned from a 17-month absence due to Tommy John surgery to make four starts for the Orioles in September. The southpaw looked sharp in those outings, authoring a 2.66 ERA, and was a candidate to start in the series against the Rangers.
Means' absence likely means Dean Kremer and Kyle Gibson will start in some capacity following the first two games of the series, where Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez get the ball, respectively.
Hyde said he's decided on the starters for Games 3 and 4 but isn't ready to announce his decision, according to Baltimore Baseball's Rich Dubroff.
Meanwhile, Scherzer was a bit of a long shot to suit up in the ALDS despite his best efforts.
The 39-year-old ace faced hitters during a two-inning simulated game on Friday and walked away feeling positive, although he said he wouldn't be able to properly assess how he felt until one day after pitching.
"All good there," Bochy said of how Scherzer felt Saturday, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. "We just didn't feel like we had enough information to have him on the roster. ... But there was nothing but good news today as far as how he felt."
Scherzer hasn't pitched in a big-league game since Sept. 12 after sustaining a right shoulder injury.
The three-time Cy Young winner was expected to be a big part of the Rangers' rotation after they acquired him at the trade deadline.
Andrew Heaney and Jordan Montgomery will start Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS for the Rangers, respectively.