Orioles pass on obvious Jordan Westburg replacement in frustrating roster move

Vibes were at an all-time high at Camden Yards on Wednesday after Jackson Holliday clubbed a grand slam for his first MLB home run. That gave the Baltimore Orioles the insurance they'd need to win the series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Unfortunately, the mood shifted drastically when fellow young infielder Jordan Westburg was hit in the hand by a pitch. Brandon Hyde revealed postgame that Westburg had fractured his hand, keeping him sidelined for most of the remainder of the regular season. There is no timetable for his return.

With Westburg IL-bound, the Orioles obviously had to replace his spot on the roster. Instead of going with the move their entire fan base wanted, Baltimore opted to promote Livan Soto to the majors according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Orioles refuse to promote Coby Mayo despite unfortunate Jordan Westburg update

This felt like a simple solution. With Westburg out, the Orioles could've easily started Holliday at second base, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, and Coby Mayo, another young exciting prospect, at third base. Instead, the Orioles are promoting Soto, a player who has a .681 OPS in his minor league career and a .751 OPS in Triple-A this season.

While Soto hasn't been awful at the Triple-A level in 2024, his numbers don't compare to Mayo who has been one of the best hitters at that level for a couple of years now. Mayo is slashing .293/.366/.578 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 75 Triple-A games in 2024. This comes after he hit 29 home runs, drove in 99 runs, and had a .974 OPS splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A.

In Baltimore's defense, Ramon Urias has had a strong month of July and can take over at third base. The Orioles can also leave the option open for Mayo to win the Rookie of the Year in 2025, helping them earn an extra draft pick, by leaving him in the minors for a little while longer.

Still, with the Orioles holding a slim 0.5-game lead over the suddenly surging New York Yankees in the AL East, the decision to promote a player who has been DFA'd five separate times in 2024 (including twice by the Orioles) over one of the best prospects in baseball is really hard to defend.

Going from an All-Star in Westburg to guys like Urias and Soto is a major drop-off, and allowing this to happen while Mayo lingers in the minors has to be frustrating for Orioles fans. Playing for the future is important, but with the Orioles being as good as they are right now and locked into a tight division race, leaving a better option in the minors is unacceptable.