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After just ten games at the Major League level, the Baltimore Orioles decided to send back MLB's no. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday back to Triple-A, the team announced on social media this Friday, after a rough first experience for the 20-year-old infielder. In the correspondent move, the Orioles promoted outfielder Ryan McKenna and designated catcher David Bauelos for assignment.
The promotion of Jackson Holiday to the MLB was a moment of high anticipation, given his impressive performance in Triple-A at the start of the year. He boasted a 1.077 OPS in his first ten games in Norfolk, including two home runs and 9 RBIs, setting the stage for what was hoped to be a stellar debut in the Major Leagues.
Major Leagues, major struggles for Holliday
However, in the Big Leagues, the story was very different, as he batted for .059/.111/.059 with two hits and 18 strikeouts in 34 at-bats so far this season after making his debut on April 10 vs the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Major League pitching was too much for Holliday, as he missed 49.2% of his swings and 59.4% of fastballs he swung at, and also struck out half of his plate appearances during his short tenure with the Baltimore Orioles so far this season, also having to work on his defense, as he posted a -1 DRS in just 87 innings and a -0.5 WAR.
Obviously, this is a massive setback for Holliday. However, the second baseman is still very young at just 20 years old, and it is common for top prospects to struggle in their first stint in the Majors and be sent back to the minor leagues to reset and build their confidence and try again.