MLBTR Podcast: Twins And Orioles’ Injuries, The Guardians And Angels’ Quiet Offseasons, And Chris Sale’s Extension
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Twins right-hander Pablo López requiring Tommy John surgery (3:20)
- The Orioles losing Jordan Westburg due to a partially torn UCL in his elbow (13:15)
- The Guardians signing Rhys Hoskins to a minor league deal but doing little else this winter (23:45)
- Angels owner Arte Moreno making some curious statements (35:50)
- The Braves and Chris Sale signing an extension (47:35)
- Tony Clark resigning as executive director of the MLBPA and being replaced by Bruce Meyer (53:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- The Tigers’ Rotation, A Brewers-Red Sox Trade, And Late Free-Agent Signings – listen here
- Twins Front Office Shake-Up, The Brendan Donovan Trade, Eugenio Suarez, And More! – listen here
- Examining MLB’s Parity Situation – Also, Bellinger, Peralta, Robert, And Gore – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Jonah Hinebaugh, Imagn Images
AL East Notes: Westburg, Yankees, Rays
Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg has been no stranger to injuries over the first few years of his time in the majors, and his latest ailments are a partially-torn UCL and oblique soreness. The oblique issue appears to be fairly minor, but he’s received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow in hopes of rehabbing his UCL and will be out until at least May due to the issue. Setbacks of this sort have become all too common for Westburg in recent years. Since making his big league debut in 2023, he’s missed time due to a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a strained hamstring, and an index finger sprain.
When on the field, there’s no question that Westburg has proven to be one of the Orioles’ most talented young players. An All-Star in 2024, Westburg is a career .264/.312/.456 hitter in just over 1,000 career plate appearances and can play capable defense at both second and third base. The .269/.317/.497 slash line Westburg posted in 101 games prior to the aforementioned broken hand during the 2024 season is even more impressive and shows that the 27-year-old has the potential to be a star for Baltimore when he’s healthy enough to take the field at full strength.
Those times have been increasingly uncommon over the past few years, however, and when asked about it by Orioles reporters Westburg seemed frustrated. He told MASN’s Roch Kubatko that he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to play again after his latest PRP injection, and Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun relays that Westburg admitted the constant injuries have taken a mental toll on him.
“I’d like to sit here and say, ‘extremely confident,’ but some of this wears on you mentally,” Westburg said (as relayed by Weyrich) when asked about his ability to stay healthy and be an everyday player for the Orioles. “So, there are doubts, but like I said, I’m going to do my best to kind of see what avenues that I can go down to maybe help bulletproof my body a little bit more. I don’t know if there’s a way to do that, but I’m going to try.”
While Westburg looks to push through the obstacles currently standing between him and a return to the field, the Orioles will be looking to open the season without either him or second baseman Jackson Holliday. That could open the door for Coby Mayo to return to third base and recent trade acquisition Blaze Alexander to see time at they keystone. Utility man Jeremiah Jackson and third baseman Bryan Ramos are among the other players currently on the 40-man roster who could compete for additional time on the infield while Westburg and Holliday are unavailable.
More from around the AL East…
- The Yankees are bolstering their international scouting department with the addition of longtime Cubs front office member Nao Masamoto, according to a report from Patrick Mooney and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. The pair note that Masamoto has been instrumental to the Cubs’ recruitment efforts with players coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball and their ability to provide a smooth transition for the players (like Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga) who do wind up signing with them. Chicago has emerged as a destination for Japanese talent during Masamoto’s tenure with the club, while the Yankees have struggled to court players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in recent years. While they were once a top choice for NPB talent themselves, they haven’t rostered a Japanese player since Masahiro Tanaka departed MLB following the 2020 season.
- A pair of Rays players are facing some restrictions as Spring Training games get underway. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported recently that right-hander Steven Wilson, who Tampa acquired from the White Sox in a trade during the offseason, has been slowed by a back injury entering camp. Wilson enjoyed a solid season with Chicago last year where he pitched to a 3.42 ERA across 59 appearances despite middling peripherals. Also sidelined at the moment is shortstop Taylor Walls, who Topkin notes was scratched from the Rays’ lineup due to oblique tightness. That sounds worrisome for Tampa, but the club has fortunately described Walls’ removal from today’s lineup as purely precautionary. Carson Williams would likely be the next man up to handle shortstop if Walls were sidelined during the regular season.
Jordan Westburg Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear
Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced to reporters this morning (via Jake Rill of MLB.com). For now, Westburg will not undergo surgery. He’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection today in hopes of avoiding an internal brace or Tommy John procedure, either of which would sideline him for the majority or entirety of the year. Westburg will miss at least the month of April. A further timetable will hinge on how well the PRP injection works.
Given the timing of the injury, it makes sense that Westburg would opt for an injection, rest and rehab rather than immediately going under the knife. The recovery timetable for position players coming back from UCL surgery is shorter than for pitchers but still tends to take at least six months just to return as a designated hitter, though timelines vary depending on whether a full reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) or a less-invasive repair (internal brace) is required.
For instance, Bryce Harper had Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2022 and was on the field as a DH about five and a half months later. Trevor Story had an internal brace procedure in Jan. 2023 and made it back to the field as a shortstop seven months later. Every injury is different, and we don’t know the extent of the tear with which Westburg is dealing. Based on some recent precedents like Harper and Story, immediate surgery would probably have resulted in a best-case scenario of Westburg returning as a DH in August, with a chance of playing some third base very late in the regular season.
Of course, there’s also the strong possibility that undergoing surgery right now cost Westburg the entirety of the 2026 campaign. If the O’s and the medical experts with which Westburg consulted feel that was the likely outcome and that he’d be be sidelined until next spring anyhow, then this is a logical course of action. By going the PRP route, Westburg gives himself the best chance of being available for a decent chunk of the 2026 season — and if he has to undergo surgery in May, he’ll still be expected to be ready for next year’s spring training.
Elias detailed (via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner) that Westburg felt elbow discomfort while throwing during his rehab from the oblique injury that he was already known to have. Imaging revealed a partial tear in his elbow, which doctors now believe to have been there for some time. There’s no telling right now whether the PRP will prove sufficient, but Elias suggested that Westburg could return as a designated hitter first if the injection looks to be taking hold.
Even if Westburg “only” misses a couple months of the season rather than the entire year, it’s still a critical loss for Baltimore. The O’s will already be without second baseman Jackson Holliday on Opening Day following his recent surgery to address a hamate fracture, so they’ll be down 50% of their starting infield.
Westburg, 27, has been a well-rounded, productive player ever since debuting in 2023. He’s a career .264/.312/.456 hitter with 38 homers, 53 doubles and eight triples in 1027 career plate appearances. Injuries have far too frequently kept him off the field, however. He’s missed time due to a broken hand, a pair of hamstring strains and an ankle sprain in his two-plus seasons at the MLB level. He’s yet to top 107 games in a big league season, and today’s injury revelation casts some major doubt on whether he’ll be able to further that career-high mark in 2026.
With Westburg and Holliday both shelved, the Orioles’ Opening Day infield will have quite a different look than expected. Former top prospect Coby Mayo has been focusing his offseason and spring work on third base and figures to open the season there in place of Westburg. Trade acquisition Blaze Alexander can handle third base if Mayo struggles considerably, but he’s also one of the lead options to open the season at second base in place of Holliday. Utilityman Jeremiah Jackson could log time at either position.
It’s also feasible that the Orioles could bring in some veteran infield depth. Old friends Ramón Urías, Jose Iglesias and Emmanuel Rivera remain unsigned, as do veteran utility options like Luis Urías (Ramon’s younger brother) and Jon Berti. Spring training always leads to the placement of a few dozen players on waivers, as non-roster veterans or prospects make their clubs and are selected to the 40-man roster with their current team. Some of those non-roster vets who don’t make the cut with their current club could opt out or be granted their release later in camp, which could give Baltimore other options to consider.
Jordan Westburg Undergoes Imaging For Potential Elbow Injury
Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg has been slowed by an oblique injury in camp and was already expected to miss the first few games of exhibition play as a result. However, it appears there’s greater concern than just a mild oblique strain. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner reports that Westburg was sent for imaging on his elbow. The results have not yet been disclosed. O’s podcaster Brooks Rothschild suggested yesterday that Westburg could miss significant time due to an elbow issue.
Asked today whether Westburg was dealing with an elbow issue in addition to that oblique injury, manager Craig Albernaz told reporters (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko): “Right now, he’s physically unable to participate. So he’s getting evaluated by a medical team and also outside people to make sure we have a plan in place and see what’s going on with Jordan and get him going.”
Baltimore’s infield is already banged up. Second baseman Jackson Holliday suffered a hamate fracture recently and is expected to open the season on the injured list. Westburg has typically been Baltimore’s third baseman but has plenty of experience at second base and could have filled in for Holliday while Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander or Jeremiah Jackson handled the hot corner. Now, it seems there’s a chance Westburg will instead join Holliday on the injured list.
Since his 2023 MLB debut, the now-27-year-old Westburg has been a consistently productive, well-rounded player when healthy. The “when healthy” caveat has proven critical, however. Westburg has never topped 107 games or 447 plate appearances in the majors. Since his initial call to the big leagues, he’s seen IL time for a broken hand, a pair of hamstring strains and an ankle sprain. Westburg carries a .264/.312/.456 batting line in 1027 major league plate appearances, but he’s played in only 341 games (majors and minors combined) across the past three seasons.
Baltimore has been giving former top prospect Coby Mayo plenty of reps at third base during spring training and will presumably continue to do so. Mayo has said that the focus of his early spring work is his defense at the hot corner. He was drafted as a third baseman, but scouts have long questioned whether he can handle the position, and the O’s have given him the majority of his major league work at first base. However, between the Pete Alonso signing and injuries elsewhere in the infield, it’s only logical to get Mayo some more work at third base to see if he can help out there on at least a semi-regular basis.
Mayo’s name was bandied about the rumor mill throughout the winter. Even as recently as this weekend, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested that Baltimore has continued to discuss the 24-year-old in potential trade scenarios. If there’s now concern surrounding Westburg’s availability, one would imagine that will lessen any such talks (unless, speculatively speaking, Mayo is shipped out for a more established veteran infielder).
If Westburg is sidelined for any significant period of time, there are possibilities outside the organization. Old friends Ramón Urías, Jose Iglesias and Emmanuel Rivera remain unsigned, as do veteran utilitymen Jon Berti and Luis Urías (Ramón’s younger brother). None of those players could be reasonably expected to match the offense of a healthy Westburg, but any of the three would deepen the infield mix and — specifically for Urias and Berti — provide a fair bit of defensive versatility. Myriad trade possibilities abound, even beyond the obvious names still on the market. The aforementioned Alexander certainly wasn’t a frequently discussed trade candidate when the O’s sent Kade Strowd and a pair of prospects to Arizona to pry him loose.
That swap looked a bit surprising at the time but will now pay considerable dividends. Alexander can handle either second base or third base. He hit .230/.323/.383 in 74 games last year but closed out the season on a more impressive .239/.338/.415 stretch following the D-backs’ trade of Eugenio Suárez, at which point Alexander took over as the primary third baseman.
Jackson Holliday To Begin Season On Injured List Following Hamate Surgery
Feb. 12: Holliday had successful surgery today to address his fractured hamate bone, according to multiple reports, including from Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun. The second baseman is expected to be sidelined several weeks beyond Opening Day.
Feb. 11: Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will open the 2026 season on the injured list after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his right hand during live batting practice on Feb. 6, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced to the team’s beat this morning (link via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner). He’ll likely miss the first several weeks of the season.
Elias also added that infielder Jordan Westburg suffered an oblique injury three weeks ago while training but is only expected to miss the first few games of Grapefruit League play (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The team isn’t concerned about his Opening Day status at this juncture. Righty Colin Selby, meanwhile, is dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder and is expected to open the season on the injured list (per Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun).
The Holliday injury is the most notable of the bunch. The former No. 1 pick and top prospect had been in line to open the season at second base after hitting .242/.314/.375 with 17 homers and 17 steals in his age-21 season with the O’s last year. Second base will now presumably fall to some combination of trade acquisition Blaze Alexander and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson. Alternatively, Baltimore could play Westburg at second base and give Coby Mayo some run at third base to begin the season.
Many fans on social media were quick to jump to the conclusion that the Holliday injury was a driving factor behind Baltimore’s acquisition of Alexander in last week’s trade with the Diamondbacks. However, the timing was a matter of happenstance; Holliday actually suffered the fracture in his hand/wrist the day after the Alexander trade was completed. Perhaps there was some modest concern about Westburg’s oblique at the time, but Holliday’s injury didn’t have any impact on that swap.
Hamate fractures are relatively common. Stars Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll are currently in similar boats at the moment. The resulting surgery typically sidelines players for anywhere from four to eight weeks. Hand injuries of this nature can often have a lingering impact on a player’s power output even after he’s cleared to return to the field, though every case is unique unto itself, of course. Assuming Holliday indeed hits the injured list, this will the first major league IL placement of his young career.
As for Selby, there’s less certainty on his outlook at the moment. The Orioles acquired him from the Royals in a July 2024 swap sending cash back to Kansas City. He spent the rest of that year and the majority of the 2025 season in Triple-A, but the 28-year-old righty was effective in 14 big league frames in 2025. Those 14 innings came over the life of 11 appearances and saw Selby hold opponents to five runs (3.21 ERA) on 16 hits and just two walks with 14 strikeouts. Selby also tossed 25 2/3 innings of 2.45 ERA ball at the Triple-A level, fanning 31.5% of his opponents there.
Selby’s IL placement opens up some space in the team’s Opening Day bullpen competition, which could create an easier path for lefty Grant Wolfram, righty Yaramil Hiraldo or out-of-options right-hander Rico Garcia. Right-hander Chayce McDermott, too, could find himself in that mix. He’s been a starter in the past, but Elias said today that the 27-year-old righty will be used as a reliever in the upcoming season (via Kostka). Righty Tyler Wells, meanwhile, will build up as a starter. There’s currently no clear rotation opening for him, but stretching out in camp will create some insurance for rotation injuries. Wells could open the season in a long relief role in the ‘pen or in the rotation with Triple-A Norfolk; he still has two minor league option years remaining.
Orioles Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment
The Orioles have designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment and reinstated Jordan Westburg from the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. Baltimore also optioned lefty Grant Wolfram to Triple-A Norfolk, clearing a spot for the activation of lefty Jose Castillo, whom the O’s claimed off waivers yesterday.
Rivera, 29, came to the Orioles following a DFA in Miami last summer. He erupted for a .313/.370/.578 slash and four homers in 73 plate appearances down the stretch, prompting the O’s to tender him a $1MM contract in the offseason. He hasn’t replicated that output in 2025, however. Through 127 turns at the plate, Rivera has logged a tepid .250/.291/.283 slash that more closely resembles his career .245/.305/.360 output in 1169 plate appearances.
He’s still a quality defender at third base and has added some experience at first base, but Rivera is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t simply be sent to the minors without first being removed from the 40-man roster by way of a DFA. He’ll now be made available to the game’s 29 other teams via outright waivers. If and when he clears, Rivera would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency (both by virtue of having more than three years of MLB service and a prior outright in his career).
It’s been a stop-and-start year for the 26-year-old Westburg. He’s been highly productive when healthy enough to take the field but has endured lengthy IL stints owing to both a hamstring strain and a right ankle sprain. He’s just now returning from the latter of those two maladies after spending nearly a month on the shelf.
When he’s been able to take the field, Westburg has popped 25 extra-base hits (15 homers, nine doubles, one triple) and recorded a stout .276/.326/.473 batting line while splitting his time between third base and second base. Dating back to last season, Westburg has belted 33 home runs in just 751 plate appearances — despite being a right-handed hitter in a ballpark that overwhelmingly sapped right-handed power in 2024 (before altering their left field dimensions this past offseason).
Westburg is controllable for another four seasons in Baltimore and won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2026 season. He’s been limited to just 73 games this season, but he’s demonstrated potential 30-homer pop if he can remain healthy for a full year. He’ll enter the offseason lined up as the Orioles’ starter at third base, joining shortstop Gunnar Henderson and second baseman Jackson Holliday as locks in the infield at Camden Yards.
Former top prospect Coby Mayo is currently getting plenty of run at first base but has yet to solidify himself as a credible hitter at the MLB level. Samuel Basallo, another touted prospect (whom the Orioles recently extended), will also be in the mix for reps at first base. Longtime O’s slugger Ryan Mountcastle is also still in the picture, but he’s slumping badly to close out a down year overall and will be owed a raise on this year’s $6.78MM salary ahead of his final season of club control, making him a non-tender or trade candidate.
Orioles Place Jordan Westburg On Injured List
3:48pm: The Orioles announced Westburg’s IL placement and the selection of Machin’s contract. Catcher Gary Sanchez was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot. He’s been out since early July due to a knee sprain.
3:35pm: The Orioles are placing infielder Jordan Westburg on the injured list and will select the contract of fellow infielder Vimael Machin to take his spot on the roster, interim manager Tony Mansolino announced to reporters (via Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun). They’ll need to make a 40-man roster move before those transactions become official.
Westburg, 26, has been out of the lineup since being removed from Monday’s game after tweaking his ankle while rounding second base. This is the former No. 30 overall pick and top prospect’s second IL stint of the season. He missed more than a month early in the year due to a hamstring strain. He also missed nearly two months last summer due to a broken right hand.
Despite the injury troubles over the past calendar year, Westburg has emerged as a clear piece of the Baltimore core. He’s played in 180 games and taken 751 plate appearances since Opening Day 2024 and slashed .269/.317/.478 (123 wRC+) with 33 homers, 35 doubles, six triples, seven steals and a 21.7% walk rate. The free-swinging Westburg has only walked in 4.9% of his trips to the plate during that time, but he’s made enough contact and hit for enough power to keep his on-base percentage close to the league average.
The O’s haven’t provided a timetable for Westburg’s return yet. He’ll be out at least a week — the IL stint will be backdated to this past Tuesday, the maximum three days allowed — and there are only about five weeks left on the regular season calendar.
In place of Westburg, the O’s will promote the journeyman Machin, who signed a minor league deal over the winter. Machin has played in 107 games and tallied 443 plate appearances with a strong .285/.344/.470 batting line with Triple-A Norfolk this season. He’s popped 15 homers and swiped 13 bases in that time, drawing walks at an 8.4% clip against a 16.7% strikeout rate that’s considerably lower than league average.
This will be Machin’s first major league action since the 2022 season. The former Cubs farmhand was a Rule 5 pick by the A’s prior to the 2020 season and spent parts of three seasons with the now-former Oakland club. He hit just .208/.290/.261 in 361 plate appearances from 2020-22, but Machin is an accomplished Triple-A hitter, evidenced by a .289/.371/.449 slash in nearly 1400 plate appearances at the top minor league level.
AL East Notes: Bigge, Kim, Scherzer, Westburg, Gil, Williams, Weaver
In excellent news out of Tampa Bay, right-handed reliever Hunter Bigge is recovering well after undergoing surgery to repair multiple facial fractures (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Bigge was hit in the face by a 105-mph foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman while watching Thursday’s game from the Rays‘ dugout. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters today (including Topkin) that Bigge has been released from the hospital and returned home. There is no doubt the incident was terrifying, not just for Bigge but for everyone in either dugout at Steinbrenner Field. While Cash acknowledged that raising the screens in front of the dugouts probably isn’t an option, Topkin reports that the skipper will meet with his players to talk about potential adjustments. “We’ll talk through it,” said Cash. “And see what we can do.”
Bigge, 27, has not played since May 1 due to a right lat strain. Through his first 15 games in 2025, the hard-throwing righty pitched to a 2.40 ERA and a 3.99 SIERA. Indeed, he has been highly effective since he came to Tampa Bay as part of the trade return for Isaac Paredes. He has a 2.48 ERA and 3.22 SIERA in 28 appearances with the Rays. He does not yet have a timetable to get back to game action.
In additional Rays news, Ha-Seong Kim appeared in a rehab game yesterday, going 1-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored. It was his first game in over a week; as Topkin notes, the Rays pulled him off his last rehab assignment on June 12 with right hamstring tightness. Kim’s strong offensive showing last night was surely good news for Tampa Bay. However, he played DH, and as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, the team’s biggest questions aren’t about his hitting or his baserunning but his ability to play shortstop. The Rays have already made it clear that they won’t reinstate Kim until he is ready to provide his typical Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop on a daily basis. So, tonight’s game, in which he’s playing shortstop, will be a much better test of his readiness to return. If it goes well, it might not be long before he finally makes his Rays debut. Topkin suggests Kim is unlikely to require the maximum 20 days of rehab before he is back with the big league club.
More from around the AL East…
- Max Scherzer dominated Triple-A competition in his latest rehab start on Wednesday, striking out eight of the 17 batters he faced in 4 1/3 scoreless innings. However, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that Scherzer’s “thumb/hand” was sore following the outing, so the Blue Jays have decided to push back his next bullpen session to Sunday, instead of today as originally planned. This won’t prevent him from rejoining Toronto’s rotation next week – presuming no further setbacks – but it now seems as if he’s looking at a Wednesday or Thursday return, instead of starting the series opener against the Guardians on Tuesday. The Jays have struggled to fill his spot in the rotation ever since he exited early from his first start of the season, so his return will be a highly anticipated event.
- Orioles second and third baseman Jordan Westburg came back from a long stint on the injured list just last week, but he had a new injury scare this afternoon. He jammed his left hand into the bag as he stole second base and later exited the game. Following the contest, manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun) that Westburg had indeed jammed his fingers on the play, but X-rays were negative. The team is hoping it’s just a day-to-day injury and won’t force Westburg back to the IL. The All-Star infielder has been hitting very well since his return from a hamstring strain.
- Luis Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, has been out all season with a lat strain, but he’s making good progress toward his return to the Yankees rotation. Speaking to reporters before today’s game, manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of Gil’s performance in a live batting practice session (per The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty). Boone did not offer a timeline for the right-hander’s rehab, but he did compare Gil to a trade deadline addition, which suggests he could be back on the mound in late July or early August. Despite several major injuries, the Yankees rank eighth in starters’ ERA and fourth in starters’ SIERA this season. Gil’s return should make an already strong rotation even stronger.
- In more Yankees news, Boone revealed on Friday that Devin Williams and Luke Weaver will share closing duties going forward (per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo). Williams is the bigger name with more experience in the role; he’s a two-time All-Star with 77 career saves. However, he struggled with his new team early in 2025, and Weaver stepped up to take over the closing job. Then, Williams moved back into his old ninth-inning role in June when Weaver hit the IL with a hamstring strain. He earned four saves in four chances over seven appearances, striking out 10, walking none, and giving up just one earned run. So, now that Weaver is healthy, it’s understandable why Boone wants to give both pitchers save opportunities. Weaver struggled in his first game back, giving up two hits, a walk, and a home run, but he didn’t seem overly concerned, telling Kuty, “I felt like my stuff was as good as it’s been all year, if not better.”
Orioles Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment, Option Heston Kjerstad
The Orioles announced a number of roster moves today. Outfielder Cedric Mullins and infielder Jordan Westburg have both been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In corresponding moves, the club has optioned outfielder Heston Kjerstad and designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment. The O’s also announced that outfielder Jordyn Adams, who was designated for assignment last week, has been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The 40-man roster count drops to 38.
Kjerstad, 26, was the No. 2 overall pick back in 2020, though that selection represented a bit of draft-day creativity; he was generally viewed as a mid-first-round talent but signed with the O’s on an underslot deal at No. 2 overall, leaving Baltimore some extra money to pursue over-slot bonuses with others further down the line — the aforementioned Westburg and top prospect Coby Mayo among them.
The Orioles have given Kjerstad looks in each of the past three seasons now, but the 2025 campaign is the first where he’s been given a real run at anything close to regular playing time. It didn’t go well. Despite being largely shielded from left-handed pitching, the lefty-swinging Kjerstad hit just .192/.240/.327 with four homers, a 3.6% walk rate and a 26.9% strikeout rate in 167 turns at the plate. He’s improved his overall contact rate relative to 2023-24, but he’s chasing off the plate at borderline egregious levels (38.4% chase rate) and still swinging through pitches too often.
Kjerstad finds himself at something of a crossroads with the Orioles. He’ll still have one more minor league option remaining beyond the current season, but he’s now struggled to establish himself in three separate seasons. Colton Cowser is locked into one outfield spot long-term. Tyler O’Neill has an opt-out clause in his three-year contract that he does not presently appear likely to take (although a big finish to the season can always change that). Mullins is a free agent at season’s end, as is Ryan O’Hearn, which could open some outfield/designated hitter playing time. However, the O’s have prospects like Enrique Bradfield Jr., Jud Fabian, Vance Honeycutt and Dylan Beavers rising through the system — any of whom could also factor into those competitions for playing time.
It’s arguable that Kjerstad hasn’t really gotten a fair audition. He’s totaled 314 MLB plate appearances across three seasons and always been either platooned or had the specter of someone returning from the IL to take his spot and push him back to Triple-A Norfolk.
Other clubs might have given him a more traditional everyday opportunity, but the Orioles tend to prioritize matchups more than most and have frequently brought in veteran outfielders who’ve cut into Kjerstad’s potential playing time (e.g. O’Neill, Ramon Laureano, Dylan Carlson, Eloy Jimenez, Austin Slater). They make no secret about their endeavors to stockpile as much depth as possible, which positions them well for injuries but also results in scattershot opportunities for young players like Kjerstad, Mayo and since-traded prospects like Kyle Stowers, Connor Norby and Joey Ortiz.
For now, Kjerstad will head to Norfolk and look to get his swing back on track. However, he has little left to prove against Triple-A pitching. Kjerstad has played 132 games there, taken 591 plate appearances, and mashed at a .299/.382/.541 clip.
As for Rivera, he originally came to the O’s as one of those previously mentioned depth grabs. Baltimore claimed him off waivers last August, enjoyed a productive run of 27 games down the stretch, and tendered him a $1MM contract over the winter. Rivera never seemed likely to replicate the .364 average on balls in play or 22.2% homer-to-fly-ball ratio he logged with the O’s in 2024, however, and his offense has plummeted back down to his career norms in 2025. He’s taken 76 plate appearances and batted .232/.303/.275 — not far off his lifetime .243/.306/.363 slash in the majors.
The 28-year-old Rivera’s hard-contact numbers completely eroded this season. He’s a surehanded defender at the hot corner and has also played some first base in the majors. However, he’s out of minor league options, so the O’s couldn’t simply send him down. He’ll first need to clear waivers. Given his lack of track record and options, he could well pass through unclaimed, though he’s affordable enough that a team seeking short-term help at the hot corner could look to him as a stopgap between now and the trade deadline.
MLB rules stipulate that a player can be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week, and waivers are a 48-hour process, so Rivera will be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. If he clears, he’ll presumably accept a minor league assignment, as he did when the O’s passed him through waivers earlier this spring. Rejecting in favor of free agency would mean forfeiting the remainder of his $1MM guarantee, as Rivera does not have the five years of service needed to reject an outright assignment and retain his guaranteed salary.
Orioles Notes: Westburg, Mullins, O’Neill
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.