Orioles Star Infielder Dealing With Oblique Strain

The Baltimore Orioles were hit hard by the injury bug this week, as two key players will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Sep 19, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11) scores during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

With pitchers and catchers reporting in for spring training on Wednesday, the Baltimore Orioles were hit by the injury bug, with two star infielders set to miss time.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias revealed on Wednesday that infielder Jordan Westburg has been suffering from an oblique injury for about three weeks. The ailment is expected to sidelined him from playing in some of the team’s Grapefruit League games; despite this, the Orioles do expect Westburg to be ready for Opening Day.

Jordan Westburg strained his oblique and will be slow played to start spring training. Orioles’ Mike Elias says he doesn’t expect Westburg to play in Grapefruit League games right away but opening day isn’t in jeopardy right now.

— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) February 11, 2026

Westburg, 26, has struggled with injuries over the past couple of seasons. Last year, he was limited to just 85 games, missing nearly two months with a strained hamstring and later an injury to the index finger on his left hand. Westburg still managed to slash .265/.313/.457 with 17 home runs, 41 RBI, and 87 hits.

The news came shortly after the Orioles announced that star shortstop Jackson Holliday will open the 2026 season on the injured list with a broken hamate bone. Holliday suffered the injury during live batting practice on February 6th and will undergo surgery later this week. He joins Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets, who suffered similar injuries earlier in the week.

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Both injuries have the potential to leave the Orioles short-handed in the infield. The recent acquisition of Blaze Alexander from the Diamondbacks makes more sense given the timing of the injury to Westburg; with Holliday slated to be the O’s starting second baseman, those duties will likely fall on Alexander or potentially Westburg if he is ready for Opening Day. If Westburg slides over to second base while Holliday is out, the Orioles could play Coby Mayo at third to start the season.

Despite the Orioles’ optimism for Westburg, oblique injuries are known to linger even after a player returns to action. Westburg’s teammate, Adley Rutschman, missed a total of 63 games last season due to two separate stints on the IL with oblique strains. As a result, the star catcher had the worst offensive output of his career, hitting just nine home runs with a career-low .220 batting average and .366 slugging percentage.

Jordan Westburg (oblique) is running. And those are guys tossing balls in the back. Baseball! pic.twitter.com/nepITJGBzR

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) February 11, 2026

Elias did mention that Westburg has “turned a corner” with the injury and is expected to ramp up his training despite missing at least the first few games of the Grapefruit League season. The Orioles will still slow-play Westburg to begin camp to monitor his progress. Look for the O’s to be cautious with Westburg, especially with how Rutschman’s oblique injuries impacted his performance and availability last year.

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