Orioles insider details what it'll take for Jackson Holliday to get called back up to the majors

When the Baltimore Orioles promoted Jackson Holliday to the majors, the reaction from most MLB fans was one of relief more than excitement. Of course, everyone was excited to see the top prospect in all of baseball play, but it felt as if it should've happened much sooner.

Holliday, wearing all of the pressure on his shoulders, struggled mightily in his first MLB cup of coffee, to say the least. The 20-year-old looked completely overmatched, recording just two hits in his 34 at-bats and striking out 18 times in 36 plate appearances.

With Holliday looking like he didn't belong, the Orioles opted to demote him just 16 days after he was called up. He has been with AAA Norfolk ever since. Holliday has had his ups and downs since the team sent him down, while the Orioles have continued to look like legitimate World Series contenders even without him.

Baltimore showed off its insane depth on Monday by recalling Connor Norby, their No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, to the majors, bypassing Holliday in the process. Norby is replacing Jorge Mateo who was placed on the 7-day concussion IL. The Orioles choosing Norby over Holliday gave O's fans some insight as to where Holliday stands on the organizational depth chart right now. From what Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun had to say on the Foul Territory podcast, it sounds like Holliday has a lot to prove.

It might be a while before Jackson Holliday earns his next promotion

Holliday has never dealt with failure throughout his entire professional career until he got to the majors. He zoomed through the minors after being a No. 1 overall pick and was seen as a future superstar. Then he struggled when given the chance against the best competition in the world. It was always going to take some time for Holliday to bounce back, and clearly it has since he was sent down.

Holliday has an .867 OPS since his demotion which isn't a bad number by any means, but isn't quite what fans had become accustomed to with him in the minors. He has also struck out at a 24 percent clip, which is a tad high for the minors as well even if it isn't nearly as much as he was fanning in the majors.

As for what it'll take for Holliday to come back, Meyer has some theories.

"I don't know if the organization is looking that much at the numbers. As long as he's somewhere in the .750 OPS range and isn't really struggling. I think they're more so looking at his mechanics. He made a couple of tweaks... They're probably looking for something to click there and then for him to get hot."

Meyer noted a high leg kick that Holliday was using in the majors. They've made tweaks with that, and are waiting for him to get hot. His numbers are solid, but aren't quite Holliday-esque.

Meyer also pointed at the strikeouts. Again, it's not a bad figure if Holliday was in the majors, but he's striking out more than they'd like for him to in the minors. Once he can figure that out, he'll be back. It's mainly those two things clicking at the same time.

The Orioles have no reason to rush this. Mateo was playing great before his injury. Norby has put up great AAA numbers in a substantial sample size, there's a good chance he's ready to contribute. This team is flush with depth and does not need Holliday right now, as crazy as that is to say.

The Orioles want to make sure that when they bring him up again he's fully ready. They won't be calling him up to be a part-time player, he'll be expected to contribute in a huge way. He's a guy Meyer believes will be their future leadoff hitter thanks to his high walk rate.

Holliday will be back, and might even be back this season. It'll just be a while. There is no clear timetable. He has a couple more boxes to check before Baltimore will think about a promotion.