The Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-4 today to remain a half game ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the win appears to have been a Pyrrhic victory as the team lost All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg to injury.
Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde says that Westburg has a broken right hand and the team can only hope he’s back “by the end of the regular season,” per Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun on X.
Westburg was struck by a 95 mph pitch that darted in and hit his right hand. Blue Jays’ reliever Yerry Rodriguez plunked Westburg in the fifth inning, loading the bases for top prospect Jackson Holliday who hit a grand slam for his first career home run.
Surprisingly Westburg remained in the game after being hit and trotted around the bases when Holliday homered. The 25-year-old rising star did not return to the field after the inning however and was replaced on defense. There is currently no timetable for his return.
Westburg was enjoying a breakout season in his second year in the majors. As the Orioles' primary third baseman he's produced a .500 slugging percentage and .817 OPS with 25 doubles, 18 home runs, 58 RBI and 54 runs scored. He’s up to 2.4 WAR in 100 games this season.
Orioles lose All-Star Jordan Westburg to broken hand
In addition to providing excellent offensive production, Westburg has played solid defense for the Orioles. The 30th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Westburg had become a fixture in Baltimore’s lineup and earned a spot in his first All-Star game this season.
The Orioles are expected to place Westburg on the 10-day injured list but depending on the outcome of further examinations, he could be moved to the 60-day IL. If Baltimore goes that route, Westburg’s sophomore season would be over as the Orioles have just 54 games remaining in the regular season.
Baltimore could call up hot prospect Coby Mayo, who has 20 home runs in 75 games with Triple-A Norfolk this season, per the AP’s Noah Trister. However, the loss of their young star third baseman will not be easily overcome.
The Orioles made a number of moves at the trade deadline, primarily adding pitching depth. The team brought in starters Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers and relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto. The Orioles will lean on young talent like Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Colton Cowser and will likely need to tap into the farm system as they hope to hold onto the division lead over the second half.
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