Orioles treatment of top prospect shows a trade is needed more than ever

No team is better equipped to win now and in the future than the Baltimore Orioles. They won 101 games last season, sit in first place in the AL East so far this season entering play on Sunday, and are stocked with one of, if not the best farm system in the majors.

Jackson Holliday is the prospect that garners the most attention and rightfully so, even after his struggles, but they have four prospects within MLB Pipeline's top 30 including Heston Kjerstad who is on their active roster right now.

Kjerstad, the 29th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was promoted to the majors after he got off to an unbelievable start in AAA. While promoting him was a no-brainer, there's one major issue that has come with it. He hasn't played much at all. He has just one start in the five games since his recall and has taken five plate appearances. That's a problem.

Orioles trade is needed now more than ever with treatment of top prospect

When top prospects are called up, the expectation is that they'll play at least some of the time. Promoting them to the majors only to sit them in the dugout most of the time makes absolutely no sense, and that's exactly what the O's are doing with Kjerstad, who is out of the lineup again on Sunday.

Look. The reality of the situation is that there really is nowhere for him to play. Ryan O'Hearn has a .941 OPS on the season and a .988 OPS against right-handed pitching. Anthony Santander hasn't been great, but he has hit 61 home runs in the last two seasons combined. He can't be benched regularly. Colton Cowser has a 1.053 OPS on the season and a 1.125 OPS against right-handed pitching.

The fact that there is nobody to bench is part of the problem. If there's nowhere for these top prospects like Kjerstad, Coby Mayo, and Connor Norby (to name a few) to play, trades are needed. Wasting them in AAA when they're too good for that level and not giving them a chance at the highest level is counterproductive for both the players and the organization.

Considering injuries to John Means and Tyler Wells, the Orioles have multiple openings in their rotation to acquire another starting pitcher. With Felix Bautista out for the year, they can certainly use another late-game reliever. Ramon Urias is pencilled in most of the time at third base with Holliday in the minors, so they can maybe even use another infielder.

The one thing that the Orioles cannot do is exactly what they're doing with Kjerstad. If you believe he's MLB-ready, play him. If you think he's not ready to play, send him down. If there's no room, trade him or somebody else to open a spot. He's too talented of a player to sit on the bench and never see the field.