Will Baltimore Orioles Call Up Jackson Holliday Again This Season?

After getting 10 games to prove himself in the MLB, the Baltimore Orioles decided to send him down when it was clear he wasn't ready, and there's a chance he doesn't get called up again this year.

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) adjust his hat while on the field before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

With all of the factors surrounding the Baltimore Orioles coming out of their disappointing exit in the 2023 playoffs, it was easy to see why they were one of the teams who generated the most excitement across the league entering the year.

Not only was there optimism locally, but national coverage focused heavily on this organization.

After Mike Elias made an aggressive move to land Corbin Burnes, the Orioles looked like legitimate World Series contenders after already producing a season where they won the most games in the American League and won their division.

Plus, their farm system continued to be the talk of the baseball world as the majority of their past high draft picks were sitting in Triple-A, waiting for their promotion after overpowering that level in the minors.

Jackson Holliday, the consensus No. 1 prospect in the sport, dominated headlines after it appeared he was going to be part of Baltimore's Major League roster early on in 2024.

He started in Triple-A following not making their Opening Day roster, but eventually was called up and got his opportunity in The Show.

Unfortunately, his short stint of 10 games did not go as anyone planned or imagined.

Holliday went 2-34 and was sent back down to the minors when it was clear he wasn't ready to face Major League pitching.

At 20 years old, it's not overly alarming that he didn't immediately produce, but after he was heralded as the best hitting prospect in baseball, the fact he couldn't muster up more hits certainly opened some eyes.

Because of that, there are some analysts who don't think the Orioles will promote him to the MLB again this season.

"The problem for Holliday is his own performance might not be enough to earn him another call up this year ... That's because Jorge Mateo has made himself undroppable at second base," writes Alicia de Artola of FanSided.

The superstar prospect was seen to be a fix for their second base issues as Jorge Mateo entered 2024 coming off back-to-back years with an OPS+ of 84 and 70.

However, the veteran has provided immense value for Baltimore so far this season before hitting the injured list with a concussion. He's slashing .246/.294/.447 with three homers, 16 extra-base hits, and 13 RBI across 42 games with an OPS+ of 115.

His bWAR is also 1.3, with his defensive bWAR at 0.5 as he's been used across multiple positions in the field.

Combining that with the fact the Orioles called up Connor Norby to replace Mateo instead of recalling Holliday, it seems like the top prospect has fallen down the pecking order.

Here's the thing, though.

It's hard to imagine Baltimore wouldn't give Holliday another look in September when the rosters are expanded. Many teams across Major League Baseball use that time period to give their elite minor leaguers a taste of the bigs, something the Orioles have done plenty of times.

Saying he won't touch an MLB diamond at this point in June seems a bit premature.

What happens if Jordan Westburg gets hurt? If Gunnar Henderson gets banged up? How about if Ramon Urias continues to struggle or if Jorge Mateo's production drops off after this injury?

In that case, they could turn back to Holliday, who is getting more time against top arms in Triple-A to further prepare himself for Major League pitching after only getting 18 games of action at that level last year.