The Orioles announced this morning that they have activated infielders Jordan Westberg and Ramon Urias from the 15-day disabled list. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Livan Soto have been demoted to Triple-A to allow them to return to the active roster. Both Westberg and Urias are in the starting lineup for today’s game against the Tigers, with Westberg batting second and playing second base, and Urias batting eighth and playing third base.
The addition is a welcome one for the Orioles, who have a September wRC+ of just 95, good for 17th in the majors, since Westberg first landed on the disabled list in early August with a broken hand on July 31. The 25-year-old Westberg was phenomenal for Baltimore in 101 games before hitting the disabled list, and after a solid but unspectacular rookie season in 2023, he batted .269/.317/.497 (wRC+131) with 18 home runs and 25 doubles in just 420 at-bats this year while splitting time between second and third base.
This strong performance immediately positioned Westberg as a cornerstone of the Orioles lineup alongside superstar Gunnar Henderson and veteran slugger Anthony Santander, filling the void left by catcher Adley Ruchman. Ruchman’s league-average performance this year (104 wRC+) was the lowest of his career to date. Westberg’s emergence also made it easier for the team to slowly work through the major league adjustment of promising prospect Jaxon Holiday, who is struggling in his first major league game. Westberg’s above-average hitting ability at both second and third base when needed allowed the Orioles to spend most of the early season in a combination between Jorge Mateo at the keystone and Urias at the hot corner, with Westberg manning the vacant position for the day.
Speaking of Urias, the 30-year-old has continued to thrive in a part-time role for the Orioles this year, batting .252/.327/.427 (wRC+117) in 275 at-bats in 95 games. However, his work as a strikeout corner remains questionable, far from the strong defensive performance that earned him a Gold Glove in 2022. Still, Urias’ return to the infield should give the Orioles an extra boost on offense without having to rely on Holiday. Holiday has improved somewhat in his second stint in the major leagues, but he’s only batting .195/.253/.342 (wRC+69) with a 30.9% strikeout rate in 49 games since returning to the major league team in late July to replace Mateo, who ended his season with elbow surgery. Urias’ return, in particular, should help protect Holiday from left-handed pitchers. Since returning to the big leagues two months ago, Holiday has a 36.6% strikeout rate and a wRC+ of just 33 against left-handed pitchers.
Meanwhile, Johnson and Soto are heading to Triple-A. It was a short return to the big leagues for Johnson. He only played one game with Baltimore yesterday, going hitless in one at-bat, but he played in 35 games with Cleveland in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The 29-year-old Johnson is back in Triple-A and is hitting a respectable .259/.320/.448 in 500 at-bats this year. He will be in the same minor league group as Soto. Soto was acquired by the Reds on waivers this offseason, but after playing one game with Cincinnati, he was dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline along with outfielder Austin Slater. Since joining Baltimore, Soto has performed well off the bench, batting .462 in 13 at-bats. Soto has a career .351/.400/.494 batting average in the major leagues, but those numbers have come in just 87 at-bats over the past three seasons. At the Triple-A level, the 24-year-old Soto has a career .266/.362/.385 batting average, which may be a better indication of his true talent level.
