The Baltimore Orioles have confirmed that infielder Jordan Westburg is done for the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow.
Westburg’s absence is a real blow for an Orioles team that entered this season with genuine playoff aspirations. The 25-year-old has been one of the more versatile pieces in Baltimore’s young core, capable of playing multiple infield spots and providing solid production on both sides of the ball. Losing him for the year creates a hole at shortstop that the organization doesn’t have an obvious internal solution to fill.
UCL repairs in the elbow have become more common in baseball at all levels, but they’re not minor. Even with a non-Tommy John route, recovery timelines push into multiple months, and return-to-play for a position player who throws regularly as part of his job comes with its own complications.
For Baltimore, the question becomes: how do you compensate for this? The trade market for middle infield depth is expensive, and the Orioles don’t want to mortgage their prospect pipeline to patch a hole created by bad luck. Their front office has been sharp about building through the system, and a panic move in May doesn’t fit their model.
The Orioles already had concerns heading into this season about pitching depth and offensive consistency. Westburg was supposed to be a stabilizing force at shortstop while the team’s young arms continued to develop. Now that stabilizing piece is in a sling.
Baltimore’s front office will look at internal options and potentially scour the waiver wire for upgrade candidates. The roster is thin at that position, but the situation is manageable if the rest of the lineup stays healthy and productive.
Westburg will spend the summer rehabbing with the goal of returning fully healthy for spring training 2027. At 25, he has plenty of time to recover and reclaim his spot in the Baltimore infield. The long-term picture for Westburg is fine.
The 2026 season, though, is over for him before it really began. The Orioles need to adjust and move on quickly. The NL East is not going to wait for Baltimore to
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
