Baltimore’s infield reinforcement could vault them into postseason contention if he continues to heat up.
It wasn’t too long ago that Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday (plus Colton Cowser) headlined a Norfolk Tides squad that won a Triple-A title.
However, the infield tandem hasn’t thrived synchronously for the club’s MLB affiliate, the Baltimore Orioles — until now.
Despite arriving as baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect, Holliday had a steeper learning curve than expected when acclimating to the Majors in 2024.
He struggled mightily as a rookie before turning things around thus far in his second campaign. Conversely, Westburg broke out last season and earned an All-Star nod, but has been dealing with a nagging hamstring strain since late April 2025.
But the latter has returned from the IL with a bang, finally harmonizing with the former, which could fuel Baltimore’s suddenly resurgent postseason hopes.
Jordan Westburg comes back from a lengthy IL stint in a massive way
Westburg has homered in consecutive contests since the O’s activated him from the IL; think he was eager to get back in the lineup?
His three-run blast in Baltimore’s 10-1 victory over the American League-leading Detroit Tigers on Wednesday helped clinch a ballgame that was deceptively tight through seven innings.
Reintegrating him into the middle of the order has had an immediate impact on a team that’s been constantly searching for answers this season.
An “upper body” ailment he suffered in Baltimore’s opening series against the Toronto Blue Jays and a mid-May setback from that soft-tissue issue derailed Westburg’s 2025 season before it even got off the ground. Suddenly, he appears healthy and ready to rock. He clearly wasn’t 100 percent earlier in the year, but those are ostensibly problems of the past. The question becomes: Is it too little, too late for the Orioles to make a playoff run?
Could a healthy Jordan Westburg propel the Orioles to an improbable postseason bid?
If you ask Baseball Reference, the Orioles have virtually no shot of reaching October, regardless of Westburg’s presence.
They give Baltimore a 0.3 percent chance of claiming a Wild Card spot, let alone making the playoffs.
Nonetheless, if there’s any silver lining for Westburg and the Orioles, it’s that they’ve won eight of their past 11 games.
The group has looked reinvigorated since dismissing manager Brandon Hyde roughly a month ago, posting a 12-11 record since under interim skipper Tony Mansolino.
Six franchises and eight games separate them from the Minnesota Twins for the AL’s third and final Wild Card bid. Yet, Baltimore can enter the mix with a strong second half, especially if the 26-year-old slugger can stay hot … and on the field.
