Westburg activated after missing nearly a month with ankle sprain

CHICAGO -- Jordan Westburg will get the chance to finish the 2025 season on a positive note.

The Orioles activated the 26-year-old Westburg from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon before their 8-7 win over the White Sox at Rate Field. He last played Aug. 18 and had been on the shelf since due to a right ankle sprain.

Westburg needed only three games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk before he was deemed ready to rejoin the big league team. In his last game with the Tides on Sunday, he launched two homers and drove in four runs.

Westburg was in Chicago with the team before the series opener Monday but wasn’t activated, with Baltimore choosing to give him a recovery day as it eases him back into action.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino acknowledged Monday that Westburg would be activated Tuesday and slotted in as the designated hitter. True to his word, Mansolino wrote Westburg into Tuesday’s lineup batting fourth as the DH.

Westburg went hitless in his return, but he did draw two free passes and scored a run on Dylan Beavers' homer in the seventh. Following his night as the DH, he’s expected to play third base in the Orioles' next two contests.

Westburg has been limited to just 74 of Baltimore’s first 151 games of 2025 with injuries. He went on the IL with a left hamstring strain on April 28 and didn’t return until June 10, and he missed games in late June and early July while dealing with an injury to his left index finger. In 2024, Westburg played in just six games from August on due to a right hand fracture.

“He's had some kind of freak injuries in some ways,” Mansolino said. “He's a guy that, last year, prior to breaking his hand in that Toronto series before the Trade Deadline, he was the guy that we said is going to be really, really durable. I think he's had some unusual things happen to him.”

What makes all the missed time this season even more frustrating is Westburg’s quality production when he has been healthy and on the field.

In 309 plate appearances, Westburg is slashing .273/.327/.469 with 15 home runs, 54 runs and 34 RBIs. According to FanGraphs, he was nearly a two-win player (1.9 fWAR) in his first 73 games.

With the Orioles nearly eliminated from playoff contention, Westburg most likely has only 11 games left in 2025 after Tuesday. The hope now is that he performs well, finishes the season healthy and comes back in ‘26 as a key piece for an improved Baltimore team.

“We've missed him in a lot of ways this year,” Mansolino said. “On the field, off the field, the whole package. … I still think he's a very durable guy in a lot of ways, and looking forward to watching this guy throw up 140, 150 games in 2026.”