The Orioles have had a rough start to the season to say the least, but they’ve finally begun to turn things around with seven wins in their last eight games. That still leaves them at 26-37 overall and 7.5 games back of a Wild Card spot, giving them long odds of actually fighting their way back into the playoff conversation this year. With that being said, their battered lineup does appear to be on the verge of getting some notable reinforcements. The first of those, as relayed Rich Dubroff off Baltimore Baseball, figures to be infielder Jordan Westburg.
Westburg was an All-Star last year amid a breakout campaign where he slashed an excellent .264/.312/.481 with a wRC+ of 125 as the Orioles’ primary third baseman. He collected 2.8 fWAR in just 107 games last year, posting an impressive season despite the fact that a hand fracture kept him out for much of the second half. That strong campaign led to some big expectations for him headed into his age-26 campaign, but he posted a somewhat middling .217/.265/.391 (86 wRC+) across 98 plate appearances this year before he was sidelined in April by a hamstring strain.
Despite his mediocre performance in that small sample early in the season, the Orioles will surely be delighted to have Westburg back, which Dubroff notes that interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters is “likely” to happen this coming Tuesday. Orioles third basemen are collectively hitting just .243/.303/.305 (76 wRC+) so far this season, a figure that even Westburg’s lackluster start to the season would easily clear to say nothing of his 2024 performance. Ramon Urias has been tasked with serving in a regular role at the position since his own return from the injured list, and while his numbers are about league average overall he’s looked miscast (78 wRC+) in a regular role since returning from the IL. Perhaps Westburg’s return and Urias’s move back into a part-time role can add another quality regular to the lineup while also allowing Urias to be more impactful off the bench going forward.
Also expected back in the relatively near future is center fielder Cedric Mullins, who Dubroff relays Mansolino expects back in the lineup during the club’s coming homestand, which runs from June 10 to June 15. While that wording seems to imply he’ll be back more towards the end of this coming week, the return of Mullins will still be a welcome boost for the Orioles. His time on the injured list has caused a downgrade for the club both offensively and defensively, as Colton Cowser has been forced to slide over to center from left field to accommodate the addition of Dylan Carlson to the lineup on an everyday basis. In 27 games with the Orioles this year, Carlson has hit just .212/.274/.394 with a wRC+ of 89 and peripheral numbers that suggest he’s benefited from some good luck.
While moving Cowser back to his natural position and adding Mullins’s bat to the lineup over Carlson figures to be an unequivocal upgrade, it’s less clear what version of Mullins the Orioles will be getting when he returns. While he has an impressive 121 wRC+ overall on the season, Mullins hit an incredible .292/.432/.551 (184 wRC+) in his first 111 plate appearances this year but stumbled badly near the end of April and posted a paltry .174/.198/.348 (49 wRC+) slash line in his final 96 trips to the plate before going on the shelf with his own hamstring strain, which was fortunately less severe than the one suffered by Westburg. While Mullins should surely be expected to split the difference between that scorching start and his ice cold streak prior to injury, whether he trends more towards the positive or the negative side of that spectrum will have major consequences for Baltimore this year regardless of if they make it back to the postseason or not, as Mullins is arguably the team’s top trade piece.
Also working his way back from injury is outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who has been shelved since the middle of May due to a shoulder impingement. O’Neill’s first year in Baltimore had been a disappointing one in 24 games prior to the injury, as he hit just .188/.280/.325 in 93 plate appearances prior to hitting the shelf. His return to action could provide a boost to the lineup all the same, however, given that he’s just one year removed from a dazzling campaign in Boston where he crushed 31 homers in just 113 games. MLB.com notes that O’Neill began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk yesterday, and while it’s not entirely clear when the outfielder can be expected back in the fold it seems likely he remains on track to return within the next week or two.
Would love my mariners acquiring someone like westburg
Not happening. Suarez could be available.
Maybe the Mariners could trade Carlos Vargas back for him…
How so? Someone still needs to get the ball over the plate.
I’m sure you would. But it won’t happen without giving up one of your non-Castillo SPs.
Didnt think oneill would be such a bust in baltimore
Then again, the whole tm is a bust
His contract is still looking better than the one Anthony Santander got, if nothing else.
Hban – Let’s see who has the higher WAR per million dollars after Tyler’s 3-year deal is up. Santander isn’t the one who is always injured.
Santander is currently on the IL too
joe – As George Costanza would say, “I am aware” ;O)
Because his dad is a pro body builder not a pro baseball player. His dad helped him get this far but yes its probably time for a different kind of training than what he’s done in the past.
The injury returns coupled with better play is certainly enticing for the O’s. Getting Westy back in the lineup lengthens them. Would like to see him slide up to 2 hole when he returns and slide Rutschman down to 5/6. Westy gives a gritty AB and does a better job of hitting situationally and behind runners as a usual 2 hole would. Sanchez coming back at least gives a power threat on Rutschmans off days which they’ve gotten nothing from Handley. O’Neill can’t be any worse than what he was prior to his neck injury.
Hopeful the pitching holds up the way it had the past few weeks but it is certainly not an easy test of June to say the least. I keep thinking if they can only get to mid-July at this rate they’re playing to see if there is any real possibility of Wells, Bradish, and Rodriguez returning.
Sounds good but the team sucked with these guys in the lineup early on. A mystery
Westburg was basically hurt from the start but tried to play with an injured hand. Same w O’Neil’s neck – so not really a mystery.
If they have to play Carlson, they might as well play him in CF and leave Cowser in LF. Carlson is a competent CFer for all his hitting woes.
This baffled me too, Carlson is still playing everyday and in LF. Unless he’s really regressed, I thought his calling card now was being a good defensive center fielder
It’s not like Cowser is a bad center fielder, he ranked 13th last year, much better than Mullins even. Albeit was top 3 in LF last year, so finding the balance is best.
Reynaldo – Because O’Neill isn’t dedicated to baseball, he’s dedicated to bodybuilding. That’s why so many people resent him, getting attention for his muscles is more important to him than helping his team win.
Sort of. I don’t mind a guy dedicated to his rig. Plenty of good in that. Whatever floats your boat. For me, it’s the way he carries himself. There is look at me strut that I struggle to deal with.
fopp – Yeah other players like Duran are the same way, always wearing sleeveless shirts and whatnot. Unless they truly overheat in short sleeve shirts, it’s just attention seeking ego. “Look at my muscles, look at my tatts”.
Wedtburg is obviously an upgrade but this is a unnecessarily harsh critique of Urias. He is a complete pro, plays great D, gets the bat on the ball and has been one of the few consistent contributors in the midst of so many injuries.
The best part of this is Westy rakes lefties and Holliday can take some days off against the toughest ones.
Mullins is an upgrade defensively but as suggested it’s not clear if his return helps the offense.
Agree on Urias. He’s quietly been a bit above average for a couple years with the bat and a really good fielder, he is productive when he gets a chunk of steady playing time. He doesn’t have much power this year. But Westburg as a decent defender and well above average with the bat would be expected to step in and be productive and push Urias to UIF.
If they are determined to give Mayo his shot then Rivera is redundant. Mateo already doesn’t play (shouldn’t have been carried past 2023 TBH), can’t be trusted to field any more and could never hit. If another UIF is needed, Luis Vazquez has been hitting well in AAA all year.
I’m not sure what the Orioles expect to get back for anyone other than O’Hearn (if trading him), Mullins or Sugano in July. Mountcastle won’t fetch much. Kjerstad has been given rope but hasn’t shown much.
Honestly I would not be at all surprised to see the Orioles standing pat, which won’t help the pitching staff at all or solve any of the redundancies. The message will be they weren’t getting “fair value offers” but you’d hear from the other teams that their expectations were unrealistic. Then Mullins, Sugano, and O’Hearn depart in the winter anyway.
Extend Urias. Glue guy. Plays anywhere in the infield. And despite of inconsistent playing time, hits professionally. Do it now.
Orioles and Braves have nearly the same record right now. Which team is more likely to see the playoffs?
Orioles. They have a lot of talent coming back and the BP is much better. The Braves need to sell. But they won’t.
Neither.
If Mullins offense gets back to decent form, a rental player like that gets them maybe a second tier pitching prospect…..perhaps Sugano is biggest trade piece to help them hope another year of experience aids its very hyped group of position players next season….yet can they really sell off a SP when theirs are lacking durability?
Perfect time to extend Mullins. Hitting is back to reality. Yep, he’s lost a step and arm is weak but his movements toward hit balls are exceptional. Move Elias.
Bradfield and Beavers have higher floors and ceilings, so firm no.
You’re kidding me O’Neill is hurt? Goodness saw that from the Cardinals.