The Baltimore Orioles are already down one infielder for the time being after Jackson Holliday broke his hamate bone. Holliday should be back sometime during the first month of the season. But losing him hurts the infield in a big way. Now, another infielder, Jordan Westburg, will miss opening day with an injury of his own.
Jake Rill of MLB.com reported on Friday morning that Jordan Westburg has a partially torn UCL. Westburg received a PRP injection, but will be out all of April.
A PRP injection is a platelet-rich plasma injection. This is a treatment that uses the injured player’s own platelets to promote the healing of the tissue and reduce inflammation. Hopefully, this is all Westburg will need. But there is still a chance that he will have to undergo surgery to fix his UCL.
Jordan Westburg Injury History
GettyJordan Westburg will be out until May at the earliest.
This is not the first injury Westburg has had to recover from.
The infielder made his debut in 2023, and his presence was immediately felt. During his rookie season, Westburg hit .260 with a .715 OPS, three home runs, and 15 RBI. The then-25-year-old followed that up by earning his first All-Star appearance in 2024. However, that is when the injuries began.
During his sophomore season, Westburg played just 107 games. He was out for over a month thanks to a hand injury. Still, he batted .264 with a .792 OPS, 18 home runs, 63 RBI, and 2.4 bWAR.
Last season, Westburg made two separate trips to the injured list. At the beginning of the year, he strained his hamstring. This forced him to miss over a month of action. Towards the end of 2025, Westburg sprained his ankle. This injury held him out from August 19 to September 16. Even with those injuries, he batted .265 with a .770 OPS, 17 home runs, and 41 RBI.
Despite these injuries, the former first-round pick has always been a good hitter. He is a reliable bat in the lineup and can slot in anywhere at the top of the order. But the Orioles are going to have to find a way to win without him this season, as the UCL injury will keep him out until May at the earliest.
Orioles Beaten Up Infield
GettyThe Orioles will need Jeremiah Jackson to step up in 2026.
When the Holliday news dropped, the infield was still in decent shape with Westburg Healthy. He was going to man the hot corner, Gunnar Henderson will be the everyday shortstop, newly-acquired Blaze Alexander will play second base, while Pete Alonso is the first baseman at Camden Yards.
Now, with Westburg out, Baltimore will need someone else to fill in at that position. Alexander can slide over to third base if needed, as he spent the majority of his time there with the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, that leaves an opening at second base.
That is where Jeremiah Jackson can really earn his stay in the big leagues. He made his debut in 2025 and played in 48 games. Over that span of games, Jackson slashed .276/.328/.447 with five home runs, 21 RBI, and 17 total extra-base hits.
The injury to Westburg and Holliday opens up a path for Jackson to play a lot early in the year. If he can have the same success at the plate while being a reliable defender, the Orioles will be just fine.
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