MINNEAPOLIS -- John Means' hot start has forced the Orioles to readjust their pitching plans again, this time to feature the rookie southpaw consistently in a significant role.

The club is keeping Means in the rotation, manager Brandon Hyde said Friday. The move at least temporarily pushes right-hander David Hess to the bullpen, where he will be available immediately.

After logging five strong innings in Wednesday’s 4-3 win against the White Sox, Means was named Monday's starter when the Orioles open another three-game set against Chicago at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“We’re going to play with our rotation all year long,” Hyde said. “I don’t think anything is going to be set in stone for a while.”

For now, at least, it includes Means, who has emerged from the roster periphery into one of the club’s more reliable arms. Thanks in large part to an improved changeup he’s using more than almost any pitcher in baseball, Means is 3-2 with a team-best 1.74 ERA across seven appearances. He leads all Orioles hurlers with a 0.7 WAR, per FanGraphs.

That success had the Orioles toying with the idea of a six-man rotation, an option Hyde said they may consider again next month. Baltimore is currently enjoying a stretch with off-days on three consecutive weeks, but it will then play on 20 straight days beginning May 10. That gives the O's the ability to turn comfortably in the short term to a five-man unit, which Means is now officially a part of.

"All those years in the Minor Leagues, thinking about all those days, grinding through, grinding through," said Means, who spent six seasons in the Minors and was never a heralded prospect. "When you get up here, you can’t have that Minor League mindset. You can’t have stuff get to you, can’t have that young, coming up mindset."

Hess made 19 starts as a rookie last season and no-hit Toronto over 6 1/3 innings in his first start of 2019. But he’s 0-4 with an 8.66 ERA in four starts since, allowing eight home runs in 17 2/3 innings over that stretch. Hess has made three career relief appearances, including a scoreless two-inning outing in his 2019 debut in New York against the Yankees.

“It’s still really, really early,” Hyde said. “There are five months to go in the season. [Hess] is going to make plenty of starts. … He’s going to have a ton of innings this year.”

Down on the farm
After exiting early from Double-A Bowie's 6-2 loss to Arkansas on Thursday, Yusniel Diaz was placed on the seven-day Minor League injured list, the Baysox announced. Bowie did not disclose the nature of the injury, but a source told MLB.com that Diaz is suffering from a left hamstring strain. The club’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 61 in baseball, Diaz, 22, is hitting .230 with a .651 OPS and one home run over his first 20 games this season. He hit .239 with a .732 OPS in 38 games there after being acquired last July from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado deal.

Roster move
Right-hander Josh Lucas, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Lucas allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings across three appearances following his promotion April 11.

Worth noting
Two days after missing Wednesday’s win over Chicago due to a personal matter, Chris Davis rejoined the Orioles in Minnesota for Friday’s series opener against the Twins. Davis was out of the starting lineup opposite left-hander Martin Perez, against whom he’s just 3-for-19 (.158) with 10 strikeouts in his career.