Holliday set to see time at 3B during rehab assignment

BALTIMORE -- An interesting development is coming in Jackson Holliday’s rehab assignment.

On Sunday, Holliday will be playing his third game for Double-A Chesapeake since starting a new rehab assignment on Thursday -- his third since undergoing right hamate surgery on Feb 12. However, the 22-year-old won’t be at second base (his primary position), nor will he be at shortstop (where he was playing when he was taken No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft).

Holliday’s next start for the Baysox will be at third base, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said following his club’s 6-2 loss to the A’s at Camden Yards on Saturday evening.

“He’s mixing in at third,” Albernaz said. “We talked to him to see where his head was at, and he was for it.”

It will only be Holliday’s third professional appearance at the hot corner, with the previous two coming when he was in the Minor Leagues in 2023. He played nine innings at third for High-A Aberdeen on June 25 of that year, then nine more for Chesapeake on Aug. 16.

The O’s converted Holliday into a second baseman in '24 during Spring Training in anticipation of his MLB debut later that year, as they planned to keep Gunnar Henderson as the everyday shortstop. Holliday has since played 195 big league games at second and only 11 at short.

Holliday was at Camden Yards on Saturday (a scheduled off-day for him), and did pregame defensive work, which included taking some grounders at third.

“With Jackson’s background, his athleticism, just thinking through to see what it looks like and see how he feels about it. He has the ability to play second, short and third, so we’ll see what it looks like when he gets down there,” Albernaz said. “He’s played the left side of the diamond his whole life. He was out there today, took some ground balls, it looks really good.”

After playing 11 rehab games for Triple-A Norfolk from March 27-April 12, Holliday was pulled off his first assignment early due to right wrist soreness. He then played three games from April 18-21 (two for High-A Frederick, one for Norfolk) before experiencing right hand discomfort. His X-ray, CT scan and MRI all came back clean, but he needed time to let inflammation subside.

Whether Holliday will be a viable option for Baltimore at third remains to be seen. But it could increase the O’s defensive versatility.

Jordan Westburg was projected to be the Orioles’ starting third baseman entering the year, but the 27-year-old has been on the injured list all season due to a partial right UCL tear. The 2024 All-Star was recently shut down from baseball activities, as he felt discomfort in his injured elbow while throwing at the team’s Spring Training complex in Sarasota, Fla.

It could be a while before Baltimore gets Westburg back. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Feb. 20 and has yet to play in any type of game this year. He has a follow-up appointment on Monday, Albernaz said.

In Westburg’s absence, the majority of the work at third base has gone to Coby Mayo, who has made 25 starts in 40 games. Blaze Alexander (nine) and Weston Wilson (six) have combined to start there in the other 15 contests.

Mayo’s defense has been a work in progress for much of his pro career, and the 2020 fourth-round Draft pick was showing improvement early this season. But he’s struggled of late, most notably on Thursday, when he committed a two-out throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning in Miami that led to a Marlins walk-off win.

Mayo’s minus-three defensive runs saved ranked 19th among 24 MLB third basemen with at least 200 innings played at the position this season. The 24-year-old also had minus-two outs above average and minus-0.8 defensive WAR, per FanGraphs.

Mayo (who has one Minor League option remaining) has been in an offensive slump as well. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Saturday, as his average fell to .158 and his OPS dropped to .495. In his past 11 games, Mayo is 3-for-32 (.094) with 14 strikeouts, no extra-base hits and no walks.

Another option for the Orioles at third base is Jeremiah Jackson, who played 13 games there last season. However, the 26-year-old has settled in quite well at second this year, providing strong defense at the spot over his 36 games.

For Albernaz, it’s all about having as many options as possible around the diamond.

“I think if you look at our roster,” Albernaz said, “versatility is something that we need.”