Baltimore Orioles Continue To Remain Positive About All-Star’s Rehab Progression

The Baltimore Orioles are staying positive about the progression of their injured All-Star.

Jul 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (11) rounds third base after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It has not been the second half to the season the Baltimore Orioles envisioned.

Since coming back from the All-Star break, they have a measly 26-28 record that puts them in the middle of the pack in the league, below the lowly Oakland Athletics and just ahead of the disappointing San Francisco Giants.

Much of this can be expected.

The Orioles have been banged up throughout the campaign, surviving their rash of starting pitching injuries before some of their impact bullpen arms and infielders also hit the shelf.

At some point, no matter how deep a team is, the lack of top Major Leaguers eventually comes to roost.

But, Baltimore is starting to get healthy again, having Jacob Webb return to their bullpen and star rookie Heston Kjerstad back in the mix after his concussion issues.

There are still others on the sideline they are hoping will make their way back before the regular season ends so they can get some reps facing Major League pitching before the playoffs start.

One of those players is their All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg, who has been out since Aug. 1 with a fracture in his right hand.

Still, the Orioles are confident he'll return before the end of the month.

Manager Brandon Hyde said everything has been "all positive, no setbacks as of right now" when discussing his progression per the team's page, so that is a great sign as he has gotten to the point of taking swings with the bat and fielding balls in the field.

The aim is to build up the strength in his hand, someting that is the next step before he gets closer to returning to the field.

"It's just when you haven't swung the bat for a while, to come up with a broken hand, it just takes a little while to gain strength in your hand. So they're building strength in the hand, and he's just getting used to swinging the bat," Hyde added.

How Westburg continues to progress will be something to monitor coming down the stretch.