Breaking: Jordan Westburg Placed on Orioles Injured List, Expected to Miss Upcoming Games

3:48pm: The Orioles announced Westburg’s IL placement and the selection of Machin’s contract.

Catcher Gary Sanchez was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot. He’s been out since early July due to a knee sprain.

Orioles place IF Jordan Westburg, P Brandon Young on injured list | Reuters

3:35pm: The Orioles are placing infielder Jordan Westburg on the injured list and will select the contract of fellow infielder Vimael Machin to take his spot on the roster, interim manager Tony Mansolino announced to reporters (via Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun).

They’ll need to make a 40-man roster move before those transactions become official.

Westburg, 26, has been out of the lineup since being removed from Monday’s game after tweaking his ankle while rounding second base.

This is the former No. 30 overall pick and top prospect’s second IL stint of the season. He missed more than a month early in the year due to a hamstring strain. He also missed nearly two months last summer due to a broken right hand.

Despite the injury troubles over the past calendar year, Westburg has emerged as a clear piece of the Baltimore core.

He’s played in 180 games and taken 751 plate appearances since Opening Day 2024 and slashed .269/.317/.478 (123 wRC+) with 33 homers, 35 doubles, six triples, seven steals and a 21.7% walk rate.

The free-swinging Westburg has only walked in 4.9% of his trips to the plate during that time, but he’s made enough contact and hit for enough power to keep his on-base percentage close to the league average.

The O’s haven’t provided a timetable for Westburg’s return yet. He’ll be out at least a week — the IL stint will be backdated to this past Tuesday, the maximum three days allowed — and there are only about five weeks left on the regular season calendar.

In place of Westburg, the O’s will promote the journeyman Machin, who signed a minor league deal over the winter.

Machin has played in 107 games and tallied 443 plate appearances with a strong .285/.344/.470 batting line with Triple-A Norfolk this season.

He’s popped 15 homers and swiped 13 bases in that time, drawing walks at an 8.4% clip against a 16.7% strikeout rate that’s considerably lower than league average.

This will be Machin’s first major league action since the 2022 season.

The former Cubs farmhand was a Rule 5 pick by the A’s prior to the 2020 season and spent parts of three seasons with the now-former Oakland club.

He hit just .208/.290/.261 in 361 plate appearances from 2020-22, but Machin is an accomplished Triple-A hitter, evidenced by a .289/.371/.449 slash in nearly 1400 plate appearances at the top minor league level.

Related Posts

Payday pending: Arbitration decisions ahead for the Chicago White Sox in 2026

Baseball’s salary arbitration system is truly one of the more unusual mechanisms of the game’s labor relations. It’s a halfway point between the beginning of a player’s…

Report: Braves Didn’t Inquire on Potential Manager Candidate

The now Rangers manager was considered a top candidate for the Braves earlier this year

Shocking AL Club Linked To Red Sox Star Alex Bregman In Free Agency

The Boston Red Sox pushed all their chips to the middle last offseason when they opted to sign veteran infielder Alex Bregman to a massive deal. But Bregman’s c

Yankees Make Shocking Paul Goldschmidt Choice in Elimination Game

The New York Yankees are on the verge of being eliminated from post-season contention by the Toronto Blue Jays. After dropping the first two games of the AL Div

Cubs to cut ties with Kyle Tucker after disappointing run: insider

The Chicago Cubs have already determined their future with the superstar slugger, according to an ESPN reporter.

PCA’s Brazen Claim: His ‘Simple’ Fix Could Wreck Cubs’ Struggling Lineup

The Chіcаgo Cubѕ trаіl the Mіlwаukee Brewerѕ 2-0 іn the Nаtіonаl Leаgue Dіvіѕіon ѕerіeѕ. The Cubѕ wіll go bаck to Wrіgley Fіeld fаcіng elіmіnаtіon. The Cubѕ hаve…