Once again, before Grapefruit League action even begins, before we can even get properly excited about the upcoming season, Birdland is asking why we just can’t have nice things.
First, it was Jackson Holliday breaking his Hamate bone in live batting practice. But hey, they traded for Blaze Alexander, and Jacky boy will probably be back sometime in April or early May, so if that was the extent of the bad news, we were ready to absorb it in stride.
But the reveal of Jordan Westburg’s mystery oblique injury (he supposedly “woke up sore” one day, recalling memories of his bad AirBnB bed from a year ago) raised a few more eyebrows. Westburg has struggled to stay healthy during his brief MLB career, playing just 107 games in 2024 and 85 a season ago. We know that obliques tend to nag and recur, so O’s fans engaged in understandable extended eye rolls.
Unfortunately though, rumor has it that things are even worse than feared.
First, Tony Pente of Orioles Hangout posted that Westburg “may miss significant time due to an oblique injury that’s worse than originally feared.”
A source has told me that Jordan Westburg may miss significant time due an oblique injury that is much worse than first thought. Find out more: https://t.co/Vg4mLiResA #Orioles pic.twitter.com/qPdNBpAEiU
— Tony Pente – Orioles Hangout (@OriolesHangout) February 18, 2026
Another account, the “Gary Williams Stole My Lawn Furniture Show” posted that he was hearing Westburg actually has an elbow injury which would cause him to miss the entire season.
Jordan Westburg News… pic.twitter.com/h2DCxNYPjh
— Gary Williams Stole My Lawn Furniture Show (@gwsmlfshow) February 18, 2026
Former ESR contributor Paul Valle tweeted that he was hearing something similar, and long-time Baltimore sports blogger Matt Jergensen said he heard TJS was on the table.
What I was told was Tommy John. No other details. Just that it would be out soon.
— Matt Jergensen (@MattJergs) February 18, 2026
How we go from an oblique injury to Tommy John Surgery is anybody’s guess, but manager Craig Albarnaz did little to dispel our fears this morning.
Jordan Westburg’s injury status remains a mystery.
All Albernaz would say is Westburg is “physically unable to participate right now.”
Here’s everything Albernaz said when asked about Westburg: pic.twitter.com/M1xREAiKLR
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) February 19, 2026
Westburg, who turned 27 yesterday, was penciled in as the everyday third baseman for 2026. Instead, we now turn our attention to wondering if youngster Coby Mayo is ready to assume those duties. Perhaps regular playing time will be just what Mayo needs to unleash the light tower power we saw in the minors, but the bigger question is the glove. The Birds’ infield defense left much to be desired a season ago, and with their questionable rotation and bullpen, the run prevention needs to improve. Replacing Westburg’s glove with Mayo’s doesn’t provide much confidence in that area.
We’ll continue to hope for the best while expecting the worst, as is our station as Orioles fans.
