The Baltimore Orioles could be without third baseman Jordan Westburg for the rest of the season.
Westburg left Wednesday’s 10-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays after being hit in the hand by a pitch. Blue Jays pitcher Yerry Rodriguez threw a 95 mph fastball that went up and inside and hit Westburg squarely on his right hand in the fifth inning at Camden Yards, causing Westburg to spin around and shake his hand in pain.
Although he remained in the game to run the bases, Westburg was replaced defensively and did not return to the game.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed after the game that Westburg fractured his hand. While he expects Westburg to be able to return to play at the end of the regular season, he did not give a specific time frame.
“They just X-rayed him,” Hyde said. via ESPN“How it heals and that sort of thing is beyond my expertise.
“It’s a very important part of our education, of our culture, of everything. It’s at the heart of everything.”
The Orioles have 53 games left in the regular season. That leaves Westburg six to eight weeks to recover if he wants to be back for the final regular-season series before the playoffs begin.
Westburg, who made his MLB debut last season with the Orioles, was named to his first All-Star team earlier this summer. The 25-year-old is batting .269 and has 58 RBIs with 18 home runs in 100 games this season.
Despite losing Westburg, the Orioles took the lead and earned a six-run victory thanks in large part to a Jackson Holliday grand slam, which came immediately after Westburg grounded on base in the fifth inning.
The win moved the Orioles to 65-44 on the season, giving them a half-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. Baltimore, which has won four of its last five games, opens a four-game series on the road against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.
