The Baltimore Orioles faced a setback on Friday as news emerged that third baseman Jordan Westburg will require surgery on his elbow, ending his season early, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Westburg, 27, was diagnosed with a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament during spring training. Initially, the team decided on a rehabilitation strategy, which included a platelet-rich plasma injection. Despite this, Westburg began the season on the 60-day injured list, and by May, he experienced more elbow pain. Now, he is set to undergo surgery to repair the ligament. If he follows the typical recovery timeline for position players with this surgery, he should be ready to hit by the 2027 spring training. However, fully returning to defensive play will take longer.
The absence of Westburg is a significant loss for the Orioles. He had an OPS+ of 114 with 17 home runs in 85 games during the 2025 season, despite being hampered by various injuries. In 2024, Westburg was named an All-Star for the first time, hitting 18 home runs in 107 games. As a former first-round pick and a recognized top-100 prospect, Westburg has largely met expectations when fit. Unfortunately, 2026 will not be one of those years.
What will the O’s do at third?
This development leaves the Orioles struggling to fill the third base position effectively. This season, their third basemen have collectively managed an OPS of just .523, placing them 27th among the 30 MLB teams. Coby Mayo has primarily occupied the position during Westburg’s absence but has posted a low .174/.242/.321 slash line with four home runs over 109 at-bats, striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances and struggling defensively. Despite being a highly touted hitter in the Orioles’ farm system and ranking among the top 15 prospects before the 2025 season, Mayo has not performed well in his 460 major league plate appearances.
If Mayo can quickly reach his expected performance level at the plate, the Orioles might overlook his defensive issues at third base. However, this improvement has not yet materialized. Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson have also filled in at third this season, but neither seems to be a long-term solution for the lineup.
Interestingly, the Orioles have recently had former No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday start practicing at third base as he recovers from a spring wrist injury. Holliday, primarily a second baseman with extensive shortstop experience in the minors, likely has the defensive skills to excel at third. The question remains about his batting capabilities. At 22, Holliday showed improvement at the plate last season and has the potential for significant growth. However, wrist injuries can be complicated for hitters, and Holliday has a .473 OPS during his rehab assignment. Despite this, he might offer the best combination of offensive potential and defensive proficiency at third. Ideally, Mayo would secure the third base role, allowing Holliday to stay at second, but that scenario seems unlikely for the Orioles.
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.
