Baltimore Orioles Demote Top Prospect After Historic Struggles

After a brutal start to his career at the Major League level, the Baltimore Orioles have decided to send down their top prospect.

Apr 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles seemingly got a shot in the arm when they called up the No. 1 prospect in baseball Jackson Holliday.

There was some thought that he should have made the Opening Day roster, but the front office felt like he needed a bit more time at Triple-A before he made his debut.

Holliday appeared in 18 games at that level in 2023 after climbing up the pipeline quickly from his starting point at Single-A.

He showed well this year, slashing .333/.482/.595 with two homers, seven extra-base hits, and nine RBI.

It was only a matter of time before the Orioles called him up to their Major League roster and gave the 20-year-old an opportunity to perform on the biggest stage.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for anyone as Holliday had historic struggles.

In 10 games, he went 2-34 at the plate with no extra-base hits, one RBI, and 18 strikeouts.

Because of that, Baltimore has now decided to send their top prospect down to the minors and give him more time to develop.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/gatOuLknN9

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 26, 2024

They also called up outfielder Ryan McKenna who has been with the team for the majority of the time since 2021, but didn't make the roster coming out of camp this season. The 27-year-old will have an opportunity to earn some playing time with Austin Hays currently on the injured list.

As for Holliday, this move shouldn't come as a huge surprise.

The Orioles have shown they aren't afraid to call up their star prospects, but also don't give them a long leash if they are struggling.

Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, and Grayson Rodriguez all spent time in the minors after getting their opportunity in the bigs during 2023.

All three are now major contributors to this team.

How long Baltimore keeps Holliday down in the minors will be seen as they could give their No. 6 prospect Connor Norby a shot before turning back to Holliday.