Orioles left side of the infield to join Tides tonight for rehab appearances
*Cover Photo Credit: John Topoleski
Yesterday, it was reported that Orioles infielders Ramon Urias and Jordan Westburg are set to join the Norfolk Tides this evening to begin rehab assignments for their respective injuries. Both are currently on the 10-day IL for the Orioles, though they have significantly missed more than the 10-day minimum.
Westburg is perhaps the more notable name joining Norfolk tonight. The 2024 All-Star is rehabbing from a broken hand that he suffered on July 31 when he was hit by a pitch from Blue Jays starter Yerry Rodriguez.
His absence in the lineup has been detrimental to the team, as he had been the team's most consistent and most unphased hitter all season. In 101 games before the injury, "Westy" was a .269 hitter with an .815 OPS, 18 home runs, and 58 RBI. In 10 games leading up to the injury, he had an .899 OPS with 8 RBI during that span. Getting Westburg back into the Orioles' lineup would be a major upgrade to a lineup that has made barely any noise since the All-Star break and has now fallen 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the AL East lead.
Westburg, 25, has not worn a Tides uniform since last summer when he was a .295 hitter with a .939 OPS in 67 games for the club.
Urias, 30, landed on the IL after spraining his ankle at Colorado on August 31. It was bad timing as he had finally found his stride with the bat and had snuck up as the hottest bat in the Orioles' lineup. Through June, he had been hitting just .217 with a .625 OPS. Since July, however, he has been a completely different story. In 45 games since then, he is a .291 hitter with an .891 OPS, 17 walks, and 25 RBI. Perhaps the return of his red hot bat can be another source of motivation for the Orioles as they search for an answer to their offensive struggles and as they seek reinforcements in the form of Westburg and Urias.
Both will pressumably spend the rest of this weekend with the Tides, and they should be activated by the end of the weekend or earlier. Purchase tickets to see Westburg and Urias in action here.
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