Baltimore Orioles Young Star Makes First All-Star Game as Injury Replacement

The Baltimore Orioles already had two All-Star starters and the ace of their staff make it to the Midsummer Classic, but on Tuesday it was announced they would have another player traveling to Texas.

MLB announced that Jordan Westburg would be replacing Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers in the game.

Devers is set to miss the game due to a nagging shoulder injury, so the Orioles' sophomore third baseman will pack his bags and participate instead.

Westburg was originally one of two finalists to start the game at third for the AL. In the end, he lost the fan vote to Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians and was left off the roster entirely until now.

The 28-year-old is having a breakout season in his second year, slashing .281/.328/.506 for a .835 OPS, which is third among all MLB third baseman behind just Ramirez and Devers. His 14 home runs are tied for fourth among all third baseman and his 20 doubles are tied for third.

Among Baltimore players, Westburg is second on the team in OPS+, behind Gunnar Henderson, with a 139 mark.

So far in the first half, Westburg has produced 2.8 bWAR, which is fourth behind Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Corbin Burnes, all of whom were already named to the All-Star team.

With this selection, the Orioles become the first team with three All-Star position players who are in their third season or earlier.

When Westburg was named a finalist to start the game for the American League, it was clear that he was a deserving All-Star. Unfortunately, for him to get into the game it took an injury, but the second-year player is certainly deserving of a spot for how well he played in the first half of the season.