This is just the kind of year it's been for the Baltimore Orioles so far — right when it seems like the team has taken a step forward, they get knocked one big step back. Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Angels felt like a potential turning point, with Zach Eflin's successful return to the rotation buttressed by a combined four hits and a homer from slumping stars Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Maybe this was what Baltimore needed to finally get on track.
On the other hand, maybe this team's wretched injury luck would somehow get even worse. On Wednesday morning, manager Brandon Hyde revealed that infielder Jordan Westburg had suffered a setback in his return from a hamstring injury and had been forced to shut down his running program. It's unclear when he'll be able to resume activities, and there's no timeline for his return to the lineup.
Orioles’ Jordan Westburg has suffered a setback in his hamstring and shut down his running program, Brandon Hyde announced. No timetable for his return right now.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) May 14, 2025
It goes without saying that this is a huge blow; Westburg was an All-Star last year, part of the brigade of young talent that was supposed to lift the O's to years of AL contention. He was also one of the few impact righties in what is a very lefty-heavy lineup, giving Brandon Hyde some more options when facing a left-handed starter.
Now Baltimore is going to have to continue making do without him for the foreseeable future. And that means everyone else needs to carry even more weight — especially Jackson Holliday.
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Jordan Westburg setback forces Orioles to ask even more of Jackson Holliday
Holliday has been one of the precious few things that has actually gone right this year for the O's; after a brutal introduction to the Majors in 2024, he's made real strides at the plate so far, slashing .302/.405/.460 over his last 21 games. Hyde has even thrust the 21-year-old into the leadoff spot of late, a sign of just how desperate Baltimore is for a spark offensively.
They're even more desperate now, and that desperation will put even more on Holliday's shoulders. This is partly due to the obvious: Westburg's absence removes a big bat from the Orioles lineup, and Holliday needs to help pick up that slack. But it also turns up the heat from a roster construction standpoint.
With Westburg out, Holliday has to be an everyday player; Baltimore simply doesn't have enough impact infielders right now to fill the void in any other way. That means being in the lineup even against lefties, an area in which the lefty-hitting Holliday has struggled mightily this year: His .462 OPS against southpaws is almost half of his .816 mark against righties.
With Westburg around, maybe that wouldn't be such a big deal; Hyde could simply slide Westburg over to second base, start the righty-hitting Ramon Urias at third and protect Holliday on the bench. Now, though, he has no such luxury, unless Baltimore wants to bench its former top prospect for some combination of ... Urias and Emmanuel Rivera? No, thank you.
It's sink-or-swim time for Holliday, which maybe isn't fair but is the O's reality right now. They need him to start playing like the foundational star he was billed as, and they need him to do it right away; if not, this offense will continue to flounder, especially against lefties.