Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports. Westburg's procedure will keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, but general manager Mike Elias said Friday that the 27-year-old infielder has a good chance to return to playing in the field full-time by early 2027. Until then, Coby Mayo will likely take over as Baltimore's primary third baseman, though Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson are also candidates to make an occasional start at the hot corner.
Westburg will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports. Westburg suffered a partially torn UCL in his right elbow during spring training and had been attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. He began a throwing program in April but was shut down earlier this month. The 27-year-old will now miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign, leaving Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson as candidates for playing time at third base for the Orioles the remainder of the season. Baltimore will hope to get Jackson Holliday (hand) back at some point in the relatively near future, and he's been getting reps at third base during his latest rehab assignment, perhaps signaling he'll be an option at the hot corner for the big-league club.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Westburg (elbow) is "going through the options, next steps, what he wants to do" following an exam with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports. Though Albernaz didn't explicitly state it, it seems Westburg is weighing whether to have surgery to repair the partially torn UCL in his right elbow. He's been sidelined all season by the injury and recently encountered a setback, which prompted Monday's exam. If Westburg does wind up having his UCL repaired, it would knock him out for the remainder of the 2026 season.