Mateo undergoes elbow surgery, shut down for rest of '24

LOS ANGELES -- In recent weeks, Jorge Mateo knew surgery remained a possibility for his injured left elbow, as doctors hadn’t ruled out him needing to undergo a procedure. But the 29-year-old infielder held out hope that he could return to play for the Orioles later this year.

That will not be the case.

Mateo underwent left elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with internal brace and flexor repair on Wednesday, ending his 2024 season. The procedure was performed by Dr. Keith Meister at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Texas.

“We’re happy about that, that everything went really well,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “So hopefully, he’s back by the regular season next year.”

The injury -- classified as a left elbow subluxation -- was sustained on July 23, when Mateo collided with fellow infielder Gunnar Henderson on a play up the middle of the field during a game at loanDepot park in Miami. It was immediately clear that Mateo would likely miss a good chunk of time, as he was in visible pain on the field.

Mateo went on the injured list two days later (retroactive to July 24), and he was moved to the 60-day IL on July 30. However, the possibility remained that he could have returned for Baltimore in late September and then played during the team’s likely appearance in the postseason.

No player on the Orioles’ roster has a skill set quite like Mateo’s. He’s the fastest player on the club (a team-best average sprint speed of 29.9 feet per second this season, per Statcast), and he’s capable of playing second base (where he made 52 starts this year), shortstop (three) and center field (two).

Over 68 games this season (his fifth in MLB and fourth with the O’s), Mateo slashed .229/.267/.401 with 14 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 18 RBIs. He also went 13-for-15 on steal attempts.

Mateo has gone 91-for-110 on stolen bases in the big leagues, and he won a Fielding Bible Award for his play at shortstop in 2022.

“Just what we lose speed factor, the defense, the stolen base threat, everything that he does bring,” Hyde said. “When he’s going well, he’s tough to get out. And if you don’t get him out, he’s going to score, because of what a threat he is on the bases. Losing Jorgie is a big loss for us.”

It doesn’t help that the Orioles are also without second baseman/third baseman Jordan Westburg, who has been on the IL since Aug. 1 due to a right hand fracture. The 25-year-old All-Star could be back before the end of the regular season.

For now, Jackson Holliday (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect) is the everyday second baseman, with Gunnar Henderson at shortstop and Ramón Urías at third on a nightly basis. Livan Soto is serving as the backup at all three positions, though he has yet to appear in a game at any of those spots for Baltimore. Emmanuel Rivera can also fill in at third.

Holliday’s productivity has been up and down since returning to the Majors for his second stint on July 31, slashing .221/.280/.442 with two doubles, one triple and five homers and 18 RBIs in 25 games. Meanwhile, Urías has been one of the Orioles’ hottest hitters, going 15-for-50 (.300) with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.017 OPS in 17 games since Aug. 9.