BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles called up another of their top prospects Monday, selecting the contract of infielder Jordan Westburg from Triple-A Norfolk before their 10-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Westburg is ranked 34th on MLB Pipeline's prospect list. The Orioles also have the No. 1 player in that ranking -- Class A shortstop Jackson Holliday -- and they've brought enough young talent to the majors to improve from 110 losses in 2021 to a 48-29 record headed into the second game of the series Tuesday.
"It's surreal. It's surreal, man, that's all I can say," Westburg said of his debut in a postgame, on-field interview. "I'm pretty amazed to be here, I feel extremely blessed and fortunate. And I'm excited about it."
Westburg started at second base, batted seventh and finished 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI in a game that was delayed twice by rain. In fact, he drew a walk in his first plate appearance in driving rain, as fans scurried for cover.
"I was just trying to focus on seeing the baseball instead of the huge raindrops, honestly," Westburg said.
Westburg has hit .295 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs at Norfolk this season. There's room for improvement in the Baltimore infield, with second baseman Adam Frazier batting .228 and shortstop Jorge Mateo at .224. Infielder Gunnar Henderson, another star prospect, made his big league debut late last season and is hitting .244 with 11 home runs this year.
"We just felt like he was ready to help impact our team," manager Brandon Hyde said, adding that Westburg could also play some third base in the majors.
"I think it's going to be not set in stone every night," Hyde said before the win. "Great part about it is we're getting to the part of summer where guys that need a break, and with the amount of talent that we have on our roster, I think that that's going to be fantastic -- to be able to move guys around a little bit."
The Orioles optioned infielder Joey Ortiz -- the No. 67 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- back to Norfolk. Catcher José Godoy cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Norfolk after Sunday's game.
The Orioles drafted Westburg with the 30th pick in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.