Baltimore Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday had a horrendous stint in the big leagues earlier this season, which resulted in him getting quickly sent down to the Norfolk Tides, the O's Triple-A affiliate. And to make matters worse, Holliday just suffered an injury to his elbow.
Via Rich Dubroff:
“Jackson Holliday being placed on Norfolk's injured list with right elbow inflammation.”
Not only is Holliday the Orioles' top prospect, but he's also the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. That being said, the youngster was just 2 for 34 with 18 strikeouts in the Majors. You can see why Baltimore demoted him.
In Triple-A however, Jackson Holliday has been thriving. He's slashing .270 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 50 contests with Norfolk.
Could Jackson Holliday return to MLB in 2024?
First off, the elbow injury isn't considered serious, per the Baltimore Sun. That's good news for Holliday and the Orioles. It can also be seen as a positive that he's going on the IL because it gives Holliday some time to rest.
While there's no question that he's a phenomenal player, it remains to be seen if Holliday will get called up again. But, he reportedly made some notable adjustments to his swing after stinking up the joint in the bigs. Holliday swung it a little better in May but was struggling to produce in early June.
This gives Holliday a chance to have a reset, as previously mentioned. Perhaps that could be a good thing for the 20-year-old, who is still extremely young to be in the Majors, anyway.
This is what Holliday said about his swing changes earlier in June:
Staying in a more athletic position,” Holliday told The Baltimore Banner this month. “That’s who I am. That’s the hitter I am. It’s what got me here; it’s what got me to the big leagues. I’m someone who is a little more upright and in an athletic position, and at the end of the day, I think that’s what’s going to get me back up to the big leagues.”
And despite Holliday's struggles in the MLB, the Orioles remain optimistic he will be a key piece for the organization:
“We understand that, during these developmental windows, there might be moments where the stats aren’t off the page, and that’s fine,” Orioles director of player development Anthony Villa told the Banner’s Jon Meoli last week. “We’re not always concerned with players having to win that night in order to win the long game a little bit more and understand that this is what we collectively all put our heads together on and believe it’s going to be in the future.”
Jackson Holliday will be just fine and to be honest, there's no rush for him to be a regular for the Orioles. For now, the most important thing is simply getting healthy and getting back on the field in Triple-A.
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