Jordan Westburg is set for a long road back to the diamond.
The Orioles infielder will undergo season-ending elbow surgery to repair his partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, according to a person familiar with the injury. They requested anonymity because they were not cleared to discuss the situation publicly.
This is a difficult conclusion to a saga that began in spring training, when elbow discomfort unveiled the partially torn ligament. At the time, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said imaging gave the impression that Westburg had dealt with the tear for quite some time.
Westburg initially opted to have a platelet-rich-plasma injection, a strategy meant to strengthen the ligament and hasten a return to action. But his rehab process was halted this month when the intensified throwing progression led to more elbow discomfort.
The recovery timeline for a position player is shorter than that of a pitcher, but elbow surgery is a lengthy process. It generally takes at least six months for a position player to return as a hitter only and upward of a year before he’s playing in the field.
Losing Westburg is a major blow to the Orioles. He was a steadying member of Baltimore’s infield. And, despite missing time last year with ankle and hamstring injuries, he remained productive at the plate with a .265 average and a .770 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
Westburg will likely get the surgery from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. He is the preferred surgeon for clients of agent Scott Boras.
“It sucks. I feel for him,” manager Craig Albernaz said of Westburg on Wednesday. “I feel for all of our guys who get hurt. ... He’s hanging in there the best you can, but also, it weighs on you. You want to be out here, you want to be out here competing, being with the boys, playing the game he loves, and he’s hamstrung by this right now.”
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