Jackson Holliday is on the road with the Orioles. That means his return from the injured list could be coming quite soon.
On Monday, Holliday joined the O's in St. Petersburg, Fla., ahead of the team's series opener against the American League East rival Rays at Tropicana Field. He was in the clubhouse pregame before heading out onto the turf to field some ground balls.
“We'll see how today goes and see how he's feeling,” manager Craig Albernaz said of Holliday. “... He's been with us in Baltimore, doing the same thing and just getting his work out here.”
It would not be surprising if Holliday is reinstated in the near future, as he was pulled early from Sunday's Triple-A Norfolk game as part of his scheduled return-to-play progression. The 22-year-old infielder has played 22 rehab games over three different assignments after undergoing right hamate surgery on Feb. 12.
Holliday began the season on the injured list and quickly got into rehab action, playing his first game for Triple-A Norfolk on March 27. However, he was later pulled off the assignment due to right wrist soreness. He again had his rehab paused on April 21, when he exited a Triple-A game with right hand discomfort.
At that point, Holliday underwent an MRI, a CT scan and X-rays, all of which came back clean. He took time off to get some inflammation treated, then returned to game action on May 7.
Holliday's bat has been heating up of late. He clubbed a home run during Saturday's game at Charlotte, then hit a triple on Sunday prior to his early removal from the contest.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and the former top prospect in baseball, Holliday will look to build upon his encouraging '25 sophomore campaign once he is activated. Last year, he hit .242 with 21 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .690 OPS in 149 games.
The Orioles have already had 19 players spend time on the IL this season, including 13 currently sidelined. The return of Holliday would boost their infield mix, which is much needed following the recent news that Jordan Westburg will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.