Jackson Holliday’s broken hamate bone headlined the start of spring for the Orioles, but another injury arguably felt a little more unnerving to their overall aspirations for 2026.
Though Holliday missing Opening Day and the first couple weeks of the season is far from ideal for a still-developing player and club aiming to rebound from a last-place finish, that kind of injury is more freakish in nature and carries a good long-term prognosis. However, the additional news that infielder Jordan Westburg is already dealing with an oblique strain on the heels of what was an injury-plagued campaign was frustrating to hear.
For both his sake as well as the Orioles’ 2026 fortunes, you hope it’s not a case of, “Here we go again.”
After all, it was less than two years ago that Westburg was quickly establishing himself as one of the best players on the club after playing in the All-Star Game in his first full season in the majors. Of course, it was only a couple weeks after that Midsummer Classic that Westburg fractured his right hand being hit by a 95 mph fastball, a freak injury that cost him nearly two months of action and coincided with Baltimore’s disappointing decline over the second half of that 2024 season.
To that point in his professional baseball career, Westburg had been a picture of good health, but 2025 brought more injury woes that limited him to just 85 games and often hindered him even when he was on the field. That didn’t stop the soon-to-be 27-year-old from producing at an above-average level in limited action as he batted .265 with 17 home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .770 on-base plus slugging percentage and was worth 1.9 wins above replacement over 352 plate appearances. Westburg also remained one of the Orioles’ more versatile players with his ability to play both second and third base at a starting-caliber level.
It’s not a secret that so many teammates and coaches have referred to the 2020 first-round pick out of Mississippi State as a glue guy on and off the field.
While president of baseball operations Mike Elias told reporters in Sarasota earlier this week that Westburg has already “turned the corner and he’s in the process of getting fully better” from this latest injury, the Orioles will hold him out of early Grapefruit League games to be cautious. That’s not the end of the world or an assurance that 2026 will be a repeat of last year, but a member of Baltimore’s young core already dealing with a soft-tissue injury only renews concerns and questions about this club’s overall strength and conditioning.
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With Holliday out for the start of the season, the Orioles can’t afford to come out of the gate with a lesser version of Westburg when they’ll already be counting on some combination of newcomer Blaze Alexander, Jeremiah Jackson, and perhaps Coby Mayo filling in at either second or third base. Westburg’s productivity and positional versatility would certainly make that equation easier to solve.
The arrivals of veteran sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward should ease the pressure on a young offense that was injured and not up to the challenge of doing the heaviest lifting for a club too short on pitching last year. But a healthy Westburg remains pivotal to the Orioles being the best versions of themselves and returning to the postseason in 2026.
You hope this oblique injury is the final blip concluding a frustrating year and a half for Westburg and not a sign of more frustrations to come.
