Orioles to call up top prospect Jackson Holliday

Orioles to call up top prospect Jackson Holliday

The Baltimore Orioles are calling up infielder Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan was first to report Tuesday evening.

BREAKING: The Baltimore Orioles are calling up infielder Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, a source tells ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 10, 2024

Holliday did not make the MLB roster and started the season in Triple-A Norfolk, where he slashed .333/.482/.595 (1.077 OPS) through 10 games with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. After being demoted, where they wanted him to get more second-base reps (*yawn*), he homered off … you guessed it … a southpaw in his first AAA plate appearance of the season.

JACKSON HOLLIDAY HOMERS IN HIS 1ST AT-BAT OF THE YEAR!@Orioles | @OsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/iCFE37qo6r

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 29, 2024

The former No. 1 pick raced through four levels of minor league ball in his first full minor league season in 2023, combining to slash .323/.442/.499–tallying 30 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs and 75 RBIs with a near-even walk-to-strikeout ratio (0.86 BB/K). Holiday can play either middle infield spot–he spent the majority of his MiLB career at SS, but has primarily played 2B this year–and his upside could suggest five-tool potential if he fine-tunes his defense.

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Current Orioles middle infielder Jordan Westburg, in his second full season, has struggled to begin 2024. After sporting a .717 OPS (101 OPS+) across 228 plate appearances as a rookie, he’s opened with a .597 OPS (77 OPS+) through 34 plate appearances thus far with just three extra-base hits and five RBIs.

Holliday, the son of former 15-year MLB veteran and seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, still isn’t on the 40-man roster, though the Orioles have two openings, per Roster Resource. They will still have to make a subsequent transaction to the 26-man, which has yet to be announced at the time of this publishing.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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