Westburg back in Orioles’ lineup; Mateo begins rehab assignment at Norfolk

BALTIMORE—Jordan Westburg is back in the Orioles’ lineup, batting second and playing third base for Wednesday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. Westburg sprained his left index finger on a headfirst slide during a steal of second in the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. He missed three games but avoided a trip to the injured list.

“I hope it goes better than just good enough,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Because I told him, do not play unless he feels great. He knows that. He’s a tough kid that is absolutely rotting right now on the bench, not being able to help us out. He was kind of available to go in for defense last night. I just didn’t feel right.”

Mansolino didn’t want to risk further injury to Westburg, who recently came off the injured list because of a left hamstring injury.

Terrin Vavra, who was with the Orioles on the taxi squad on Tuesday, was returned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Mateo begins rehab assignment: Jorge Mateo, who has been on the injured list with a left elbow injury, will begin his rehab assignment at Norfolk. It could be lengthy.

“I hope it is just to give him a chance to play,” Mansolino said. “We needed him to start the year.”

On May 31^st, Mateo, who was playing center field, collided with rightfielder Heston Kjerstad. Mateo, playing second, collided with shortstop Gunnar Henderson last July in Miami. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery in August.

“He didn’t get the chance to really go play a ton. He missed half of last year, and he wasn’t playing a ton … This is probably a good opportunity for him to go play. We miss him. We need him here, without a doubt … I hope he gets a chance to play quite a bit.”

Going with 6 starters—for now: Brandon Young’s addition as Wednesday night’s starter gives the Orioles six starters for the time being.

The Orioles will have seven relievers for the game, but with the team forever juggling its roster, the six-starter/seven-reliever alignment is probably not a sustainable one.

“Not necessarily. You guys know how this goes,” Mansolino said. “It’s ever in flux. We’re constantly shuffling pieces in, trying to find the right mix. We’ll see where it goes.”

Tomoyuki Sugano, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer will start for the Orioles this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. Friday night’s game will be seen exclusively on AppleTV+.

Trade deadline approaching: The trade deadline is July 31^st, five weeks from Thursday, and it’s possible the Orioles could be active in dealing players if their record doesn’t improve substantially between now and then.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Mansolino said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk to right now with the guys. I’m trying to avoid team meetings … I do see it as an appropriate conversation coming out of the All-Star break, and I’m already working on crafting whatever that message is going to look like. It’s part of the business, where we’re at.

“It can’t be a distraction. It can’t be an excuse. It can’t be something that you lean on. You’ve just got to play. There’s guys all across the league that are going to thrive on these circumstances. We certainly expect our players to do the same.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.