Jackson Holliday suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand early in spring training. His status for Opening Day has remained up in the air, as the Baltimore Orioles' second baseman hasn't officially been ruled out to begin the regular season. However, Holliday recently opened up about his chances to be ready to play on Opening Day.
During a sit-down interview on “Foul Territory,” the 22-year-old infielder admitted he himself isn't sure about his status for Opening Day. He did state that he more than likely will not be available in the Orioles' first game of the season.
“I'm not 100% sure,” said Holliday. “[Opening Day] is coming up quick… Most likely no. My goal is to try to be ready and be in a position to be ready. But the most important part is to be healthy, and when I do roll back out there, it's 100% ready to go out there and be the best I can be.”
Jackson Holliday says he "most likely" won't be ready for Opening Day.
"My goal is to try to be ready, but the most important part is being healthy." pic.twitter.com/M4Ps8t0Orn
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 11, 2026
The good news is that even if Holliday misses Opening Day, he is expected to return by mid-April at the latest. That means he won't miss many games at all, which is ideal for the Orioles, to say the least. He may even avoid a trip to the IL. But only time will tell how Baltimore handles the injury once the regular season begins.
Jackson Holliday is set to begin his third season in MLB. He showed solid improvement in 2025 compared to his rookie season in 2024. Another step in development would be huge for the Orioles, as that would mean he's turning into one of the best second basemen in the league.
Holliday ended the 2025 campaign with a .242 batting average and .314 OBP while recording 142 hits, 17 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He'll have a real chance to record better numbers this year once he returns from injury.
