BALTIMORE -- On Monday afternoon, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser walked out of the Orioles’ clubhouse at Camden Yards carrying duffel bags. The injured teammates were leaving for Norfolk, Va., where they were expected to begin Triple-A rehab assignments on Tuesday.
However, Norfolk’s scheduled game vs. Lehigh Valley on Tuesday was postponed due to rain. Then, the Tides’ Wednesday contest was also a washout.
The bad weather hasn’t allowed Westburg (left hamstring strain) or Cowser (left thumb fracture) -- two key offensive cogs for Baltimore -- to get into game action for the Tides. But the sooner they can, the better it will be for the O’s, who could greatly use their bats in the big leagues as soon as possible.
The absence of hitters such as Westburg and Cowser continues to be felt by the Orioles, who dropped their home series vs. the Cardinals with a 6-4 rubber-game loss on Wednesday. The O’s (19-36) didn’t score after the fourth inning and went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position, one night after they went 1-for-14 with RISP in a 7-4 defeat.
“I thought we had a lot of really good at-bats. Just kind of in the middle of the game we slowed down a little bit,” said second baseman Jackson Holliday, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. “We’ve got to continue to work on that. It’s been kind of an issue.”
The returns of Westburg and Cowser should help alleviate those problems.
The start to Westburg’s rehab assignment was delayed earlier this month after the 26-year-old had a setback in his recovery. He has been on the injured list since April 28 (retroactive to April 27), but he was supposed to begin playing in rehab games late in the week of May 5. He was soon shut down from running, slowing his timetable for a return.
Now, things are trending in a better direction for Westburg, who can be one of the most impactful bats in Baltimore’s lineup when healthy. Through 23 games, he was hitting .217 with two doubles, one triple, four homers, six RBIs and a .656 OPS.
Last year, Westburg batted .264 with 26 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .793 OPS in his sophomore big league season. He was on the IL from Aug. 1-Sept. 22 due to a right hand fracture.
“Westburg’s the glue to this whole thing,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I think we saw last year, right, with kind of how things went in August and September without Westy. We’re excited to get him going here at some point.”
The O’s have been without Cowser for nearly the entire season. The 25-year-old fractured his left thumb on a slide into first base on March 30 during the opening series in Toronto. He went 2-for-16 (.125) with one homer and one RBI over four games before getting placed on the IL on March 31.
Cowser was the American League Rookie of the Year Award runner-up in 2024, when he hit .242 with 24 doubles, three triples, 24 homers, 69 RBIs and a .768 OPS in 153 games. He also plays above-average defense in the outfield, where he can handle any of the three spots.
During a three-game rehab stint at High-A Aberdeen last week, Cowser went 2-for-9 (.222) with a home run.
“When [Cowser] gets going and he gets back, he’s going to be really welcomed here,” Mansolino said.
Westburg is already eligible to return from the 10-day IL, while Cowser (60-day IL) becomes eligible on Friday. However, it could still be a little bit before either is back with Baltimore.
In addition to those two, Orioles outfielders Ramón Laureano (left ankle sprain) and Tyler O’Neill (left shoulder impingement) are sidelined as well. Laureano hit in the batting cage on Tuesday, while O’Neill has resumed baseball activities and is nearing a rehab assignment.
Laureano has been among Baltimore’s better hitters (a .266 average with six homers and an .852 OPS in 36 games). O’Neill has struggled (a .188 average and a .605 OPS in 24 games), but he has the potential to rake when he gets going.
So there could be better offensive days ahead for the O’s, who need to capitalize on more scoring opportunities if they hope to get the season moving in a better direction.
“We have a bunch of really good players in here, but to be able to have those guys back will be pretty awesome,” Holliday said. “It will be great to have Cowser back, and obviously, Westy. But I’m excited to get Cowser back. We only had him for a few games at the beginning of the year, and he’s a big impact on this team, for sure.”