The Baltimore Orioles have the American League’s second-best record at 47-29 and are loaded with young talent. And they’re about to add another promising young player to their roster.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Baltimore is calling up Jordan Westburg from Triple-A. The 24-year-old infield prospect will be in the Orioles’ lineup on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds at Camden Yards.
Westburg has put together a .295/.372/.567 slash line with 18 home runs, six stolen bases, a 9.6 walk percentage, a 21.3 strikeout percentage, and a 131 wRC+ over 301 plate appearances for the Norfolk Tides of the International League this season.
In 2022, Westburg had 413 plate appearances for Norfolk, slashing .273/.361/.508 with 18 homers and a 131 wRC+.
So, Westburg — Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — put up big numbers over a large sample in Triple-A, and it makes sense that the Orioles feel it’s time to give him a shot in the big leagues.
Westburg has played a lot of shortstop and third base this season, to go with six games in the outfield. He’s a capable, versatile defender that offers Baltimore more roster and lineup flexibility.
The 30th overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft joins an Orioles lineup that already features Adley Rutschman (consensus top MLB prospect entering 2022) and Gunnar Henderson (consensus top MLB prospect entering 2023).
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.