Baltimore Orioles Promote Recently Acquired Player to Replace Injured All-Star

One of the Baltimore Orioles recent acquisitions will now be getting his first chance with his new team after being called up to replace their injured star.

Mar 13, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Livan Soto (73) throws to first base against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Surprise Stadium / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the year, many people knew the star players on this Baltimore Orioles roster.

Adley Rutschman burst onto the scene during his rookie season and has continued to be considered one of the best catchers in the game, Gunnar Henderson won the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year award, and Corbin Burnes is just three seasons removed from being named the National League Cy Young winner.

But outside of them, their players largely haven't gotten attention from the national media.

Jordan Westburg put his name in the hat as someone who should be garnering headlines with an incredible start to his year.

Once considered one of the Orioles top prospects, he built upon his strong rookie season in 2023 and put together a performance that earned him his first All-Star nod. By having a slash line of .269/.317/.497 with 18 homers, 58 RBI and an OPS+ of 132, he looks to be their third baseman of the future at just 25 years old.

Unfortunately, he is going to miss some extended time after suffering a fractured hand during Wednesday's game that could sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Baltimore has to have the "next man up" mentality without one of their rising stars, and the first person they are turning to is recently acquired Livan Soto who they got in their deal with the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Austin Slater.

This will now be his third stint with the organization, all coming this year, after they most recently claimed him off waivers in mid-April only to designate him for assignment after one Triple-A game.

Roch Kubatko of MASN reports that Soto will finally get to appear in a game for the Orioles, though, as they have decided he'll be the first replacement for the injured Westburg.

Similarly to their injured rising star, and really every infielder on Baltimore's roster, he can play multiple positions in the field, giving manager Brandon Hyde the ability to deploy different lineups based on matchups.

The 25-year-old has only appeared in 23 Major League games during his career, going 24-for-67 with one homer and eight RBI, but he will now get the opportunity to showcase what he can do in the MLB with a team looking to win a World Series.