Baltimore Orioles Star Third Baseman Can't Shake the Injury Bug

The one thing that baseball players have a hard time finding is consistency. Whether you're a pitcher or hitter, it has gotten increasingly harder to find consistent success in the MLB. 

Even the best players in baseball go through rough patches. Aaron Judge, Shohe Ohtani, Tarik Skubal, have all had stretches where they have failed more than succeed. 

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg is a perfect example of how difficult it is to simply find consistency. 

After appearing in 68 games his rookie year, with a .260/.311/.404 slash-line and 23 RBI's, Westburg looked like the future at third base for Baltimore. 

Fast forward two seasons, and Westburg has only appeared in 192 games since his strong rookie campaign.

The reason for this? Injuries. 

The 2024 season was by far the best for Westburg, as he set a career high in games played (107), at bats (416), home-runs (18), RBI's (63), hits (110) and WAR (2.4). 

Westburg was slowly emerging as one of Baltimore's best hitters, as his .264/.312/.481 slash-line displayed his improvement from last season. 

The third baseman was one of the most valuable players on the team, which is why it stung so much more when Westburg got placed on the injured list. 

On July 31, 2024 in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Westburg got hit in his hand by a pitch from Toronto's Yerry Rodriguez late in the fifth inning. 

This moment resulted in Westburg suffering a fractured right hand, specifically a broken metacarpal. This injury caused Westburg to miss over two months of action, which was a massive blow to a Baltimore team who was fighting for the AL East division. 

Westburg would return on September 22, but simply did not look the same. His six games post injury, Westburg went 5-for-26 (.192) with an OPS of .492 and seven strikeouts. 

Westburg's poor play would carry over into the postseason, where he went only recorded one hit in two games during the postseason, posting a slash-line of .167/.375/.167. Baltimore got swept by the Kansas City Royals in two games during the Wildcard round. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Westburg is ready to go for Opening Day. 

Westburg absolutely MASHED to start off the season, going seven for his first 17 from the plate, blasting three home-runs, driving in three RBI's, and posting a slash-line of .412/.474/.941 -- ridiculous. 

However, Westburg would struggle in the month of April, as his slash-line of .173/.215/.267 indicated that something else was affected Westburg's play. 

On April 28, 2025, Westburg would be placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. 

The third baseman would return to the field on June 10, 2025, where he had a strong month, hitting three home-runs, driving in eight RBI's and a slash-line of .250/.327/.523.

After a fantastic month, it looked like Westburg was back and healthier than ever. 

Unfortunately for Westburg, he would suffer a jammed index finger on a headfirst slide on June 21, 2025, prompting him to miss several days. When Westburg returned from this minor injury, he would re-injure it on June 27, 2025, costing him to miss a week of action. 

Westburg returned to action on July 4, 2025, and absolutely tore up the month of July. Westburg went 30-for-88 (.341 average), clubbed five home-runs and drove in 12 RBI's. His .926 OPS that month was by far his best stretch of his young major league career, but once again, the injury bug struck. 

On August 18, 2025, Westburg suffered a right ankle sprain, which sidelined him for about a month. 

When Westburg returned from his ankle injury, he did not look like the same player. He would go 9-for-45 (.200 average) with an OPS of .585 in 12 games. 

Although Westburg had two trips to the injured list, his 2025 campaign was once again strong, as he finished the season with 17 home-runs, 41 RBI's, and a slash-line of .265/.313/.457 in 85 appearances. 

On February 11, 2026, it was reported that Westburg has a strained oblique and will be slow played to start spring training. 

President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias said Westburg will miss Grapefruit League games, but that his opening day status is not in jeopardy right now. 

Westburg cannot seem to shake the injury bug, but if he can, he is one of the best third baseman in all of baseball.