Good morning, Camden Chatters.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve got good news and bad news for you, Orioles fans. The good news is that baseball is happening today! The O\u2019s will play the Yankees in their Grapefruit League opener in Sarasota at 1:05. The game will be broadcast on MASN and WBAL radio as the Orioles return to the field after nearly five long months.<\/p>\n
The bad news is Jordan Westburg\u2019s murky injury status<\/a>, which is hanging like a dark cloud over the early days of camp. As reported by The Baltimore Banner, Westburg \u2014 who was already sidelined by a sore oblique \u2014 had imaging done on his elbow, which indicates the possibility of a much more serious injury. The O\u2019s haven\u2019t announced a diagnosis for Westburg, but in general, when a player has pain in his elbow such that it requires imaging, it\u2019s hard not to assume the worst-case scenario. The initials T.J. jump to mind, and I don\u2019t mean Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\n Again, nothing is official yet. Maybe we\u2019ll be pleasantly surprised and the imaging won\u2019t reveal any serious damage to Westburg\u2019s elbow. Even if that\u2019s the case, though, he\u2019s still got the oblique injury that will cost him some time, and he almost certainly won\u2019t be ready for Opening Day, further weakening an O\u2019s infield that will already have Jackson Holliday sidelined for a few weeks.<\/p>\n Newly acquired utility guy Blaze Alexander can\u2019t fill both positions at once, which means the Orioles are either going to have to give Coby Mayo another shot at playing third base \u2014 something he\u2019s struggled with throughout his minor and major league career \u2014 or they\u2019ll need to make an emergency trade or free agent signing. I\u2019ll note that former O\u2019s Gold Glove third baseman Ram\u00f3n Ur\u00edas is available, having been non-tendered by the Astros in November, but there\u2019s been no indication so far that the O\u2019s are interested in a reunion.<\/p>\n The Orioles\u2019 season isn\u2019t over just because of Westburg\u2019s injury, nor Holliday\u2019s. There\u2019s a full slate of spring training baseball and then 162 regular season games ahead of us. Still, after the 2025 Orioles were so badly ravaged by health problems that tanked their season, the fact that 2026 is starting with injuries to two key players is turning the spring vibes a little bit sour.<\/p>\n Taking another look at possible position players, German impressed Alonso in live batting practice – School of Roch<\/a><\/p>\n I was racking my brain trying to think of what player the O\u2019s had signed from Germany before I realized the headline was referring to Nestor German. I need more sleep.<\/p>\n Rogers will start Orioles\u2019 Grapefruit League opener – BaltimoreBaseball.com<\/a><\/p>\n Don\u2019t necessarily take this as a sign that Rogers will be starting on Opening Day for the Orioles. Case in point: the Yankees\u2019 starting pitcher in this spring opener is Elmer Rodriguez.<\/p>\n Three reasons why – Kyle Bradish is vital for the 2026 Orioles – Steve Melewski<\/a><\/p>\n These all boil down to: Kyle Bradish is really good.<\/p>\n