Getty Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles.
Baseball fans waited 633 days for Jackson Holliday to get called up to the majors. Now the clock resets, with the Baltimore Orioles designating MLB’s top prospect after 10 games with the club.
It’s a surprising move to say the least, with Baltimore still boasting a 7-3 record in Holliday’s 10 games with the club.
Fans agree.
“You waited to bring him home,” one fan tweeted on April 26. “To send him down. Amazing. Just. Amazing.”
The team announced that Holliday would rejoin the Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides on April 26. Ryan McKenna, who’s played 284 games with the Orioles since 2021, will take his place.
We have made the following roster moves:
Holliday batted just .059/.111/.059 with 2 hits and an RBI in 34 at-bats with the Orioles. He finishes his first 10-game stint in the pros 2-for-34 at the plate with 18 strikeouts.
McKenna, who’s taken on a new position in Triple-A this season at second base, slashed .244/.333/.778 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs.
Fans React to Jackson Holliday’s Designation
If Twitter is any indication, than it’s safe to say the Baltimore Orioles fanbase did not see this one coming.
“This absolutely sucks,” The Baltimore Battery, a fan-based publication, tweeted. “The team was still winning. He was having better at-bats and making more contact. Don’t agree with it, but it’s reality. He’ll be back this season.”
“Very surprising they send Holiday down before a series against the A’s, a very beatable team,” another fan tweeted. “I get he’s struggled at the top and getting him back into rhythm is important, but shocking nonetheless”
“Terrible timing and a major head scratcher,” another fan tweeted on April 26.
A number of users didn’t rush to judgment because so many of Baltimore’s top prospects have struggled in debut stints with the club.
“Ugh,” they tweeted. “Hard to argue that it’s not the right move. Hoping he has a Grayson-like resurgence,” one account tweeted, referencing second-year pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, who is 3-1 with a 4.45 ERA.
“Much-needed reset incoming for Jackson Holliday,” another fan tweeted, noting that more time in the minors wound up benefiting outfielder Colton Cowser. “Disappointing for sure, but hard to argue with the decision at this point. Hopefully it ends up mirroring what worked well for Colton Cowser.”
Cowser, Kjerstad, Rodriguez on 2nd Stints with O’s
Designation and recalls aren’t an uncommon occurrence with Orioles prospects.
Rodriguez is on his second stint with the team, and thriving, despite a poor outing in his most-recent start.
Cowser is on his second stint with the team, making the Opening Day roster after a disappointing 2023 season. He’s slashing .333/.406/.733 with all 6 of his career home runs this season.
And then there’s Heston Kjerstad, most recently called up after Austin Hays hit the injured list.
He returned to the club after playing in 13 games with the Orioles in 2023, hitting .233/.281/.467 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs in 30 at-bats.
This isn’t the end of Jackson Holliday’s major-league story. Not by far.
He’s more likely to get a second-shot than any other Orioles prospect, and seeing as they’ve all received one; there’s a safe bet that fans will see him again this season.