SARASOTA, Fla. — This is not how Jordan Westburg wanted to begin his spring. He’s on a turf field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, running through a set of agility drills. There is no bat or glove in hand. Instead, he’s working through another rehab process.

“It adds to the frustration,” Westburg said. “I felt like I was doing everything right, and here we are again.”

The Orioles infielder has been through all this before. In 2024, an errant pitch broke his hand. Last year, a hamstring strain and right ankle sprain limited Westburg to 85 games. Even with a stop-and-start experience, Westburg was valuable when on the field, so the question became how Baltimore could keep the soon-to-be 27-year-old available to play a key role.

Westburg is now dealing with an oblique injury that has delayed his availability at camp. He anticipates returning to the field in advance of opening day, although he didn’t want to put an exact timeline on the recovery process.

Westburg said he’s pleased with his progress, and president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Westburg has turned the corner. But that doesn’t erase the vexing nature of another nagging injury.

“I’m anxious to get back,” Westburg said. “I wouldn’t call it a goal, because I try not to set too many goals, [but it] is to be as healthy as I possibly can be and try to put together a full season. Obviously, that got derailed pretty quickly. … I think a lot of guys are hungry and excited to put this past year behind us and hopefully have a better season.”

Westburg will be relied upon to carry a large role once again. In 2024, when he received an All-Star nod, Westburg hit .264 with a .792 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He followed that up with a .265 average and .770 OPS in an injury-shortened season.

And with Jackson Holliday sidelined by a broken hamate bone in his right hand, Westburg’s presence could be even more important. While Westburg primarily played third base last year, his versatility would allow him to cover second while Holliday recovers.

Others in the infield mix include Blaze Alexander, Jeremiah Jackson, Coby Mayo, Luis Vázquez and Payton Eeles. But Westburg is the most accomplished of the group.

This winter, Westburg worked with a physical therapist to ensure his ankle wouldn’t be an issue moving forward. He said his body was “feeling about as good” as it had in his career “before the oblique popped up.”

The oblique issue arose out of seemingly nothing. Westburg said he woke up sore one day last month and dialed back his workouts. As the pain increased, he flew to Baltimore for an MRI and began the rehab process.

“It weighs on you mentally,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It does. Not saying it’s weighing on Westy mentally, but that’s why — it sounds so cliche and monotonous, but it’s so true. You have to be where your feet are and you can’t control anything else. So right now, Westy is getting after it. He looks great. So, we just want to keep him there, steady progression.”

But Albernaz has reminded Westburg and others to focus on being 100% for opening day, not next week’s Grapefruit League opener. After all, the regular season is when wins and losses actually matter.

Ballpark observationsAlbernaz said outfielder Colton Cowser is working with outfield instructor Jason Bourgeois on center field. Cowser is expected to receive the lion’s share of starts in center, but Albernaz said the depth at that position includes Leody Taveras, Alexander and Dylan Beavers. While Cowser was about league average defensively last year, Albernaz thinks the increased exposure to center will help Cowser make strides.The Orioles are open to the idea of a six-man rotation, but Albernaz said it’s only that — an idea. With the signing of Chris Bassitt (pending a physical), Baltimore has ample starting pitching options, including Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Shane Baz, Zach Eflin and others. Some may trickle into the bullpen. Generally, though, the nature of pitching injuries means six-man rotations don’t materialize.Catcher Adley Rutschman had a strong live batting practice. From the right side of the plate, he throttled a would-be double to the base of the left-center field wall against left-hander Dietrich Enns. Next, he homered to right-center against right-hander Rico Garcia.