Orioles in dire straits with latest Jordan Westburg and Gary Sanchez injuries

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse on the injury front, the Orioles have once again outdone themselves. On Monday afternoon, the O's announced a flurry of roster moves, including two new IL placements and a couple guys already injured heading to the 60-day IL.

The biggest blow was the Orioles announcing the loss of Jordan Westburg to a hamstring injury. The infielder sustained the injury over the weekend and sat out Sunday's game in Detroit. It was deemed severe enough that a trip to the IL was warranted and at this point, it's not entirely clear what his timetable looks like.

Westburg hurt himself in spring training as well and has gotten off to a slow start in 2025. He's coming off an All Star season in '24 and was expected to be one of the offensive catalysts for this year's squad. We'll have to hold our breath and wait for him to return to see if he can get back into form.

Orioles announce yet another slate of injuries and roster moves on Monday afternoon

In addition to Westburg, the Orioles also placed catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day IL with right wrist inflammation. Sanchez was hit by two pitches on Sunday afternoon but stuck it out and remained in the lineup as fellow backstop Adley Rutschman was dealing with some lingering soreness of his own.

Losing Sanchez is fine, from an offensive perspective. He's been horrid at the plate so far, posting a .100/.200/.100 slash line through 13 games and he's yet to record an extra base hit. Sanchez does offer some utility as a backup catcher but obviously isn't a long term solution here.

Unfortunately, it's not just Sanchez and Westburg who've received bad news. Both Grayson Rodriguez and Colton Cowser were transferred to the 60-day IL as the pair work their way back from their respective injuries. Both will be out for roughly another month.

In order to get the 26-man roster back to capacity, the O's have selected the contracts of infielder Emmanuel Rivera and catcher Maverick Handley. Rivera came in last summer and went on a tear, becoming one of the Orioles' most impressive hitters through September. He was dumped off the roster over the winter but returned on a minor league deal and has looked sharp during his time at Norfolk.

Handley doesn't have the best track record in the minors but he's looked great in the early going this year. He's up to .346/.433/.558 with strong plate discipline in 60 plate appearances. He's yet to make his major league debut but will surely do so this week, and possibly sooner than later if Rutschman is still dealing with general soreness.