Recent Baltimore Orioles Injury Should Result in Minor League Slugger's Call Up

With one of the Baltimore Orioles All-Stars expected to miss some significant time, they should be calling up their prospect to fill his place.

Baltimore Orioles prospect Coby Mayo waits to be introduced during the Birdland Caravan fan rally at South Hagerstown High School on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. / Troy Roland / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Baltimore Orioles are poised to start performing in the second half of the year like they did during the first part before their pitching injuries really started catching up to them.

When they landed Corbin Burnes in a headliner deal this past winter, it looked like their rotation was set with the former NL Cy Young winner, Kyle Bradish, and Grayson Rodriguez commanding the top three spots.

But when Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells all underwent season-ending surgeries, the Orioles' level of play really started to falter heading into the All-Star break and for a bit coming out of it.

Their trade deadline deals have fortified this roster, giving them an opportunity to get back on track to hold onto one of the top spots in the American League and potentially win their division.

Unfortunately, it seems like they'll have to do that without Jordan Westburg who suffered a fractured hand in their game on Wednesday.

Losing the 2024 All-Star who has been having a breakout year is going to hurt, but perhaps no team is better suited to lose someone like Westburg and have a viable replacement in their farm system like Baltimore.

Having a pipeline that has routinely been considered the best in all of baseball, they have star prospects sitting in Triple-A who are ready to perform at the Major League level. Because of how stacked their roster is, the wait has been much longer than many might have expected.

But now is the time for the Orioles to promote Coby Mayo.

The No. 3 ranked prospect in their farm system, and No. 15 overall, has yet to make his MLB debut despite his batting average of .282 to go along with 70 extra-base hits, 32 home runs and 114 RBI across 137 Triple-A games.

Mayo would be a natural replacement for Westburg at third base since that is the position he's played the most.

General manager Mike Elias has mentioned the star prospect multiple times in the past, even hinting that his debut could be coming at some point this season.

That time should be now.

The 22-year-old has shown he's more than capable during his time at Triple-A, and with Baltimore now needing another option across their infield, they should give him the opportunity to prove he can do it at the Major League level.