Orioles forced to take a hard look at the future of their infield after disappointing Jordan Westburg update

Jordan Westburg did everything he could to avoid season-ending surgery, but after receiving plasma injections and enduring months of rehab and ramp-up, it became clear that it was inevitable. On Wednesday of this week, he underwent Tommy John surgery and will officially miss the entire 2026 season. This is a big blow to the Baltimore Orioles, who were hopeful that they could patch together the hot corner until Westburg returned, and now that he'll miss the entire season, they have serious questions both short-term and long-term at a key position.

In the short term, the Orioles really miss Westburg. The two players who have gotten the majority of the playing time at third have been Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander, who have both been below replacement level players so far this season by WAR, both have at least -3 OAA, and are each sporting an OPS in the mid-500s. If the Orioles have any ambition of getting back in the playoff race, they absolutely have to get more from third base on at least one side of the ball.

The Orioles need to figure out a better Jordan Westburg backup plan

Right now, Jackson Holliday is rehabbing in Norfolk and playing third base, so it's clear the Orioles are hoping the once top prospect can save them. Maybe he can, and this story will have a surprise happy ending. It feels far more likely, however, that Holliday will struggle with the position change, and if he does end up playing third at the big league level, it won't be that much better than what the Orioles are currently getting.

Outside of Holliday, the Orioles don't really have any other internal options to try to plug into third base. They don't have a top infield prospect above High-A, and their Triple-A depth infielders have been terrible. If the Orioles don't want to experiment with a trade, they're going to be in third base purgatory all season.

In the long term, Jordan Westburg should return next season. Other position players have gotten the same surgery and returned as a DH in as few as five months, so with about 10 and a half months to go between now and opening day 2027, Westburg should definitely be able to return as a DH. When he'll return to the field is a bit more questionable. Third base puts a lot of strain on the elbow, so it could be a full year before he's ready to play every day at third.

However, just because Westburg is supposed to have recovered from his surgery by next year doesn't mean that something else won't happen to him. Looking at his injury history, you can find injuries to his ankles, hamstrings, back, hands, wrists, and now his elbow. That's enough to consider somebody injury-prone.

When healthy, Jordan Westburg is a really good player. He's a versatile defender, he hits for average and power, and he's a furious competitor. It's easy to see why the Orioles want him to be their franchise third baseman. If they could turn off injuries, the Orioles could put Westburg toe to toe with some of the best third basemen in the league and feel good about their guy. But they can't turn off injuries, and as a result, he's never played more than 107 games in a season.

At this point, it would be irresponsible for the Orioles to build their 2027 roster with the assumption that Westburg will be able to play a major role. If he does, that's a great bonus, but it can't be depended upon.

The question then becomes how much the Orioles should invest in their Westburg backup plan for next season?

It's a tough needle to thread. They'll want to get someone who is good enough that if he has to play the entire season, it's not a problem, but he can't cost so much that it would be a waste if Westburg comes back and is just healthy at third all season. Whatever the Orioles end up doing, it has to be better than what they did this year, which was basically just crossing their fingers.

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