Orioles' Infielder Dealing with UCL Tear

The injury to Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg is worse than originally expected.

What started as a seemingly minor oblique strain has now transformed into an elbow injury that will keep him out until at least May. According to president of baseball operations Mike Elias, Westburg has a partial UCL tear in his right elbow. He is not slated for surgery and will instead undergo a PRP injection, putting him out for all of April with an unclear timeline after that.

Westburg suffered the tweak to his right oblique early in spring training but continued to throw while rehabbing the injury. According to Jake Rill of MLB.com, Westburg reported the elbow soreness as something he had felt before, and the doctor believed it was something he had dealt with for "quite some time."

Jordan Westburg has a partial UCL tear in his right elbow and will be getting a PRP injection today, per Orioles POBO/GM Mike Elias.

Westburg will be out for all of April. Timeline TBD after that.
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) February 20, 2026

Injuries have been a common theme during the 27-year-old's major league career. Westburg has played in over 100 games just one time during his three-year career, appearing in 68 games his rookie year and 85 last year. He made 107 appearances during his All-Star campaign in 2024 before missing all of August and most of September with a broken hand.

Both of Westburg's trips to the injured list last season were for lower body injuries, as he was sidelined for over a month from April to June with a left hamstring strain and then a little under a month with a right ankle sprain later in the season. Now with an opportunity to play every day at third base, Westburg is hit with the two unfortunate upper body injuries.

Losing Westburg is a disappointing blow to the Baltimore infield that already lost second baseman Jackson Holliday for the start of the season due to surgery on a broken hamate. The suddenly thinning unit will now have to lean on several young and inexperienced players as it is currently constructed, though they will now almost certainly have to seek external options.

Elias highlighted Coby Mayo as a player that will get "a lot" of time at third base during the spring. While it is still too early to determine a clear replacement for Opening Day, Elias spoke highly of Mayo and his performance so far, saying "he's a great defender for his size and his body type. He looks better than ever so far."

Orioles POBO/GM Mike Elias said Coby Mayo will be getting "a lot" of time at 3rd base this spring. TBD how exactly the spot will be handled in the season.

"He's good, he's moving good. He's a great defender for his size and his body type. ... He looks better than ever so far."
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) February 20, 2026

Mayo will play third and bat eighth today for the Orioles in their first spring training game against the Yankees. With over a month until regular season play, expect the O's to workshop multiple options at the hot corner. But with Mayo getting the first crack at it, it's clear he will have an extended runway to earn the spot.

While Westburg's diagnosis will be a difficult one to overcome early on, it is a positive sign that he was able to avoid Tommy John surgery. The added injury also helps to explain Baltimore's mysterious reporting surrounding the infielder during the week, as they refused to give a clear answer on his availability. But should Westburg respond well to the injection, we could see him return at full strength in early May alongside Holliday.

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