Jackson Holliday could be out of picture for 2024 Orioles soon

The Baltimore Orioles sent No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday back down to the minors just a few weeks ago. Holliday struggled in his early entry to MLB action, just as his father Matt Holliday did decades beforehand. Obviously that turned out fine for Matt, and Jackson seems far too talented to fail in the major leagues.

Holliday's first stint could not have gone much worse, as he struck out 18 times in 36 plate appearances, hitting just .059 with a .111 on-base percentage. At just 20 years old, Holliday was a young call-up to begin with.

"We decided to call him up and see how the translation to the major leagues would go on a short-term basis," general manager Mike Elias said. "What we have seen here led me to the evaluation and opinion that he would benefit from going back and adjusting there rather than doing it here in real time."

Could Jackson Holliday lose his MLB job with the Orioles?

Since returning to the minor leagues in Norfolk, Holliday has performed at an average clip, hitting .242 with four doubles. However, Holliday is also at risk of being passed up in the Orioles infield. Jordan Westberg can play both second and third base -- two positions Holliday thrives at. Coby Mayo, who primarily plays third base, is also nearing a call-up, meaning there won't be an immediate need for Holliday. CBS Fantasy Baseball's Scott White cast doubt on Holliday's immediate future:

"Of course, if the Orioles are looking to upgrade from their Jorge Mateo-Ramon Urias tandem, Holliday isn't their only option. The need isn't at second base, but either second or third base, withJordan Westburg able to shift around as needed. And it sure seems like third baseman Coby Mayo is ready."

The Orioles are under no pressure to force things with Holliday, who will turn 21 years old early next year. Elias seems to agree with that assumption.

"He got very intense, very specific feedback from major league pitching," Elias said. "He's a brilliant talent and a very sharp kid, and I expect he's going to go implement those adjustments really quickly. But we felt that Triple-A and steady playing time in Triple-A was the place for that, for a number of different reasons."

Baltimore gave Holliday a chance to make an immediate impact at the MLB level. What they learned is that he still has some work to do, and the gap between Triple-A and MLB is quite large.