O's lose Westburg to fractured hand, hope for regular-season return
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BALTIMORE -- The Orioles took three out of four games from the Blue Jays with a 10-4 victory at Camden Yards on Wednesday afternoon, a day highlighted by a Jackson Holliday grand slam that marked the first big league homer for MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect. Yet, there was still a bit of a somber mood afterward in the team’s clubhouse.
Baltimore has lost one of its key offensive producers for the foreseeable future.
Jordan Westburg fractured his right hand in the fifth inning of the contest, moments before Holliday’s slam. The 25-year-old All-Star infielder was drilled by a 95.2 mph four-seam fastball from right-hander Yerry Rodríguez, stayed in the game to run the bases and then was replaced at third base by Ramón Urías to open the sixth.
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The O’s will be placing Westburg on the injured list, and they hope to get him back before the end of the regular season, per manager Brandon Hyde.
“Injuries are a part of the game. We have to pick up the pieces for him,” Hyde said. “We’ve got to play well. He’s a huge part of our lineup, our culture, really everything. He’s right in the middle of everything. We have to have other guys kind of step up in his place and fill the void.”
Westburg will be a tremendous loss, considering he’s been having a breakout sophomore season, which resulted in him being named an American League All-Star for the first time.
Through 101 games, Westburg was slashing .269/.317/.497 with 25 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. He also has provided solid defense while bouncing between second and third base. As a rookie in 2023, Westburg hit .260 with 17 doubles, two triples, three homers, 23 RBIs and a .715 OPS in 68 games.
Ask around the Orioles’ clubhouse, and everybody would agree that Westburg is one of the hardest-working players on the team, if not the hardest worker. The stoic demeanor he shows on a daily basis comes from his drive and focus to put in as much work as possible when he arrives at the ballpark.
“Knowing him, he’s going to grind back, and hopefully, it’s not too long,” said outfielder Colton Cowser, one of Westburg’s closest friends on the team.
Other Baltimore players expressed their support for their teammate after the game as well.
“Really thinking about him right now, obviously,” right-hander Grayson Rodriguez said. “You never want to see that happen.”
“That sucks. I didn’t know that,” Holliday said when asked about Westburg’s hand fracture. “That’s hard to hear.”
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Infielder Livan Soto, who was acquired in a trade with the Reds on Tuesday, will reportedly be joining the Orioles in Cleveland, where they open a four-game series vs. the Guardians on Thursday. The 24-year-old had two brief stints in the organization earlier this year, though he never played in the Majors for the O’s.
In the long term, however, Westburg’s injury could lead to an opportunity for third/first baseman Coby Mayo (Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 15 overall) to get his first big league call-up. The 22-year-old is slashing .293/.366/.578 with 20 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs and 59 RBIs in 75 Triple-A games this season.