The Orioles the third domain Jordan Westburg he was injury-free in the first few years of his time in the majors, and his latest ailment is a mild UCL tear and oblique soreness. The oblique issue appears to be very minor, but he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow in hopes of repairing his UCL and will be out until at least May because of the issue. These types of incidents have become commonplace in Westburg in recent years. Since making his major league debut in 2023, he has missed time with a broken hand, sprained ankle, strained hamstring, and sprained finger.
When it comes to the field, there is no question that Westburg has proven to be one of the Orioles’ most talented young players. An All-Star in 2024, Westburg is a career .264/.312/.456 hitter in just over 1,000 career plate appearances and can play competent defense at second and third base. The .269/.317/.497 slash line Westburg posted in 101 games before the aforementioned broken hand in the 2024 season is even more impressive and shows that the 27-year-old has the potential to be a star for Baltimore if he is healthy enough to hit the field at full strength.
However, those times have been rare over the past few years, and when asked about it by Orioles reporters Westburg appeared frustrated. He told MASN’s Roch Kubatko that he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to play again after his recent PRP injection, and Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports that Westburg admitted the ongoing injury has taken a toll on him.
“I’d like to sit here and say, ‘I’m extremely confident,’ but some of this is mentally debilitating,” Westburg said (as relayed by Weyrich) when asked about his ability to stay healthy and become an everyday player for the Orioles. “So, there are doubts, but like I said, I’m going to do my best to see what avenues I can go down to maybe help block the bullets in my body a little bit. I don’t know if there’s a way to do that, but I’m going to try.”
While Westburg looks to overcome the obstacles that currently stand between him and a return to the field, the Orioles will be looking to open the season without him or their second baseman. Jackson Holiday. That can open a door Coby Mayo to return to third base and recent trade acquisitions Blaze Alexander seeing time in their keystone. Utility man Jeremiah Jackson and third baseman Bryan Ramos are among the other players currently on the 40-man roster who may compete for more time on the court while Westburg and Holliday are not.
More from the AL East…
- I The Yankees bolstered their international scouting department by adding Cubs front office member Nao Masamoto, according to a report from Patrick Mooney and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. The two noted that Masamoto was instrumental in the Cubs’ recruiting efforts with players from Nippon Professional Baseball and their ability to provide players with a positive change (such as himself. Seiya Suzuki again Shota Imanaga) who ended up signing with them. Chicago has emerged as a destination for Japanese talent during Masamoto’s tenure, and the Yankees have struggled to recruit players like him. Yoshinobu Yamamoto again Roki Sasaki in recent years. While they were once a top talent choice for NPB themselves, they have never signed a Japanese player since Masahiro Tanaka left MLB following the 2020 season.
- A pair Radiation players face some limitations as Spring Training continues. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times recently reported on the right-hander Steven WilsonTampa, who acquired him from the White Sox in an offseason trade, has been hampered by back injuries entering camp. Wilson enjoyed a strong season with Chicago last year where he pitched to a 3.42 ERA in 59 appearances despite a mediocre streak. Another sidelined right now is shortstop Taylor’s WallsTopkin noted that he was scratched from the Rays’ roster due to his lopsided fitness. That sounds like a concern for Tampa, but the club fortunately described Walls’ removal from today’s lineup as a precaution. Carson Williams could be the next man to handle shortstop if the walls are sidelined during the regular season.
