Guardians notes: LHP John Means is Cleveland's latest reclamation project

CLEVELAND — The Guardians have a history of getting the most out of players coming off Tommy John surgery. Last season, Matthew Boyd returned to help Cleveland in its run to the American League Championship Series. The left-hander is 11-6 with a 2.46 ERA with the Chicago Cubs this season after signing a three-year, $42 million deal in the offseason. The Guardians are hoping to strike gold again with left-hander John Means, who was scheduled to pitch three innings for Class A Lake County on Friday. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and 2024 and has been limited to 10 starts in the previous three seasons. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said he's not sure whether the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Means will start or come out of the bullpen if he advances to the Guardians' roster. Vogt said the team will continue to use Means as a starter during the full rehab process. The manager said he spoke briefly to Means the other day after his bullpen session at Progressive Field. "He's excited," he said. "I'm super happy for him. He's got to feel good to be back. He's a big dude. He's a physical presence coming right at you." Means, 32, is 23-26 with a 3.68 ERA in seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. The Guardians signed him to a $1 million deal for 2025 and a team option worth $6 million in 2026. Master theft Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez's next stolen base will be the 279th of his career, which would tie Omar Vizquel for second most in franchise history. Kenny Lofton (452) is the franchise leader. Ramirez came into Friday's game tied with New York Yankees outfielder Jose Caballero for the major-league lead with 35 stolen bases. Surging reliever Nic Enright, who came out of nowhere to earn a prominent role in Cleveland's bullpen, is 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA, three holds and one save. The right-hander pitched the ninth on Thursday in the Guardians' 9-4 victory over the Miami Marlins. After giving up two soft singles and walk, closer Cade Smith was summoned to get his sixth save. "Nic has shown he's a real quick learner and applies it the next time out," Vogt said. "He was so efficient in the eighth. He got five big outs in that game. He's been phenomenal." Enright, who is recovering from cancer, wasn't penciled in as a member of the bullpen before the season started. "If you never give a young guy a chance, you'll never know how good he can be," Vogt said. The same can be said of Smith, who has thrived in the closer's role. "He's the same person every day," Vogt said. "He's an elite human being. He treats everyone kindly." Smith is now 5-4 on the season with a 2.67 ERA and 19 holds. The right-hander has 74 strikeouts in 54 innings. Vogt said it's not easy pitching in the ninth inning. "It's three outs, but it's the last three outs of the game," he said. "The way I was taught is you don't want to make the last out of the game. You're getting hitters at their best." Rotation roundup The Guardians' starting rotation is third in the AL in innings (209 2/3) and strikeouts (196) since the start of July. Only Seattle (217 1/3) and Baltimore (210 1/3) have worked more innings in that span, while the Mariners (225) and Detroit (204) are the only teams with more strikeouts. Possible retirement? Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker could retire at the end of the season. Vogt said Snitker is one of his favorite people. "I've always looked up to him," Vogt said. "He's a great human being. He's one of the best to ever do it. I was fortunate to play under him." Snitker has a 788-650 record (.548) coming into Friday's game and helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com.