Orioles lose key contributor for entire season, as pressure builds for Jackson Holliday, Baltimore
The sub-.500 O's will not have Jordan Westburg at all this season, as their infield situation took another hit Friday
The Baltimore Orioles were dealt a blow on Friday as they learned that third baseman Jordan Westburg will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, the Baltimore Banner reports.
The 27-year-old Westburg was discovered to have a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow during spring training. Initially, the team opted for rehab-centered approach that involved a platelet-rich plasma injection. However, Westburg opened the season on the 60-day injured list, and by May he was dealing with additional elbow discomfort. Now he'll undergo surgical repair of the ligament. If he adheres to the typical timeline for a position player undergoing UCL repair, Westburg should be full go as a hitter by the time 2027 spring training arrives. However, returning to the field and making throws across the diamond will take significantly longer.
The loss of Westburg is a damaging one for the Orioles. He's coming off a 2025 season in which he had an OPS+ of 114 with 17 home runs in 85 games while being limited by a string of injuries. Westburg in 2024 earned his first and only All-Star selection and tallied 18 home runs in 107 games. As a former first-rounder and consensus top-100 prospect, Westburg comes with expectations, and when healthy he's largely met them. That won't be the case in 2026, though.
What will the O's do at third?
This leaves in place the third base void that the O's have struggled to fill thus far. This season, Orioles third basemen have put up an OPS of just .523, which as a unit ranks 27th among MLB's 30 teams. Coby Mayo has been the primary at the hot corner in Westburg's absence, but he's slashed a mere .174/.242/.321 with four home runs in 109 at-bats. He's struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. He's also stretched defensively at the position. Mayo, 24, was a highly regarded hitter coming up through the Orioles system, even cracking the top 15 overall prior to the 2025 season.
However, he's yet to hit across 460 big-league plate appearances. If Mayo does hurriedly find his expected level at the plate, then the Orioles might be able to live with his defensive shortcomings at the hot corner. So far, though, that hasn't come close to happening. Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson have also seen time at third this season for Baltimore, but neither projects as a lineup regular.
Interestingly, the Orioles recently had former No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday start taking reps at third base as he rehabs from the wrist injury he suffered in the spring. Holliday, as a second baseman in the majors with significant experience at shortstop in the minors, probably has the fielding chops to be an asset at third, but what about the bat? Still just 22, Holliday made strides at the plate last season, and certainly has the ceiling to take a big step forward. However, hamate injuries can be tricky things for hitters, and Holliday this season has a .473 OPS on his rehab assignment. Still, he may be the best combo of offensive upside and defensive capacity at the position. Ideally, Mayo would seize the third base job and Holliday could remain at second, but the O's probably won't see things work out in such a fashion.
Consider all this another layer of frustration in a season that's been full of the same for Baltimore. With a fortified rotation and bullpen, a core of young to young-ish hitters still intact, and a new manager in Craig Albernaz, the Orioles had high hopes for a rebound campaign in 2026. Thus far, though, there have been few signs of it. Going into MLB Rivalry Weekend against the Nats, the Orioles are 20-24, in third place in the American League East, and already nine games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. As well, in the AL, only the Houston Astros have a worse run differential than Baltimore's -37. The loss of Westburg and the uncertainty his loss leaves in place only adds to that sense of misery.
