Jordan Westburg is set for a long road back to the diamond.
The Orioles infielder underwent successful Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow Wednesday, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced ahead of Friday’s game against the Nationals.
Westburg will miss the remainder of season following the procedure performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
Elias declined to put a timetable on Westburg’s return but said the possibility of him returning to the field as a full-time player early in 2027 is “very much in play.”
“Obviously that’s a huge blow for the team, and it’s an unexpected one. It wasn’t something that we were bracing for coming into the year,” Elias said.
This is a difficult conclusion to a saga that began in spring training, when elbow discomfort unveiled the partially torn ligament. At the time, 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. Elias said Westburg’s attempts to return this season shouldn’t have an impact on his timeline to return in 2027.
“To Jordan’s credit, he wanted to try everything he could to come back and help the team this year and help the team as an infielder,” Elias said. “But it just wasn’t working out with the conservative route. So we just went ahead and got the surgery.”
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.
Elias said Westburg “keeps getting struck by lightning” when it comes to his injury history over the last three seasons, but he believes he can be a durable, healthy big league player and play third base following the elbow surgery.
Still, losing Westburg is a major blow to the Orioles. He was a steadying member of the 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. Elias said Westburg “is a huge part of making the team click.”
The Orioles will lean on Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson to fill the gap at third base. They’re hopeful Jackson Holiday’s return from hamate bone surgery will stabilize the group. But Westburg’s absence will continue to be felt.
“It’s been a tough go for him coming into spring training with the oblique and now this,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It sucks for Westy. We think about him, hope he’s in good spirits. Talked to him today. Seems like he’s fine, but also he’s not going to be with us so a lot of our guys have to step up.”
Note: Elias also announced that Orioles prospect Nate George went on the injured list with an undisclosed illness. Although Elias indicated he’s not too concerned, he said George might not be back for some time.
“It’s going to be a while,” Elias said. “Everything’s fine. It’s something that’ll work itself out over time.”
George, considered by many to be Baltimore’s top hitting prospect, played 20 games this season for the High-A Frederick Keys, batting .293 with a .738 OPS.
This article has been updated.
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