The Baltimore Orioles weren’t supposed to spend March playing “guess the infield.” They were supposed to spend March polishing an MLB roster that looks ready to compete the AL East. Instead, Spring Training is barely out of the driveway, and the Orioles already lost two projected Opening Day MLB-level infielders – and yeah, it matters. Not having these two players to begin the season is going to have a major impact. They started slowly a season a ago and were never able to dig out of the hole, so their start to this season is all the more important.
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Jackson Holiday:
Apr 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holiday (7) bats against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Jackson Holliday is out after surgery for a broken hamate bone in his right hand, and Jordan Westburg is also ruled out for Opening Day due to a partial right UCL tear (on top of a tweaked right oblique that slowed him early in camp). MLB.com’s camp report put it plainly: both were ruled out for Opening Day within the first 10 days of camp, and roster projections got ripped up immediately.
Holliday’s timeline is progressing – he recently had stitches removed and was cleared to ramp up baseball activities (running, fielding, and one-handed swings). That’s the good news, but it still translates to starting the year on the IL. The Orioles have to survive the first month without their intended middle-infield plan.
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Jordan Westburg:
Sep 26, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA. Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11) rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Westburg is the bigger structural problem. A partial UCL tear means they’re not just losing a player – they’re losing positional flexibility. Westburg was a candidate to move around the infield as Baltimore managed Holliday’s absence. Now that chess piece is off the board. Reporting details that imaging revealed the partial UCL tear and that he received a PRP injection, with an expectation that he’ll miss all of Spring Training and games to start the regular season.
So who benefits? Guys like Blaze Alexander – an under-the-radar addition who suddenly has a real path to meaningful early-season reps because the Orioles need someone who can cover multiple spots without lighting the defense on fire. Orioles coverage has already framed him as an unexpected but pivotal figure due to the injury pile-up.
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Possible return dates:
Sure, spring injuries happen. This hits significantly harder. It’s about how quickly depth gets exposed when two starters vanish before games even count. And when they do return? These injury types tend to linger long after the players are activated. The Orioles can still be good – maybe very good – but now the margin is thinner, the lineup is less stable, and the infield plan is officially chaos.
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