SARASOTA, Fla. -- Five live at-bats into a pre-Spring Training workout at the Orioles' Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 6, Jackson Holliday could tell something had gone wrong.
"Took a swing and knew something wasn’t exactly right," Holliday said. "Decided to say something and got the X-rays and just broke it."
"It" was the hamate bone in Holliday's right hand, an ailment that will cause the 22-year-old second baseman to begin his third MLB season on the injured list. The bone was removed by Dr. Steven Shin during a surgery in Los Angeles last Thursday, and Holliday was back at O's camp on Monday ahead of the club's first full-squad workout.
Holliday is disappointed he won't be in the lineup for Baltimore's Opening Day matchup vs. Minnesota on March 26 at Camden Yards. But he's grateful to have not sustained a more serious injury and is also hopeful he could return by mid-April.
"I think it’s pretty straightforward. Talking to the training staff and the strength staff, it’s kind of the best surgery you can possibly have because it’s so quick and easy," Holliday said. "I’m hoping it doesn’t linger too long. I think it’s just kind of going off of how I feel. Obviously, don’t want to rush into anything at the beginning of the season and kind of press on something that doesn’t need to be pressed on. But that’s my goal.
"I mean, I’ve got nothing to do but try to get better as fast as I can."
With the cast on Holliday's right hand expected to be removed later Monday, MLB Pipeline's former No. 1 overall prospect is eager to participate in the drills he'll be cleared for. He won't be swinging a bat or throwing for a little while, but he expects to be fielding ground balls and running soon.
Hamate bone injuries are fairly common in baseball, and Holliday isn't the only big leaguer currently rehabbing from this surgery, as the D-backs' Corbin Carroll and the Mets' Francisco Lindor also recently underwent this procedure. Holliday said he's talked to several players who have had it before (including former Orioles Minor Leaguer TT Bowens), which was a boost for his morale.
"They said they’ve been back and hitting live in three weeks. So that’s kind of my goal," Holliday said. "I don’t know what [the team's] goal is, but my goal is to be back as fast as possible. Just ready to get this [cast] off and get rolling."
Whenever Holliday rejoins the Orioles' lineup, he'll be looking to build on the solid sophomore campaign he put together last season. After a difficult 60-game debut stint in 2024, the No. 1 overall pick in the '22 MLB Draft took a big step forward in '25 by posting a .242/.314/.375 slash line with 21 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 55 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 149 games.
In Holliday's absence, Baltimore must decide how to handle second base, with Jordan Westburg, Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson among the top candidates to play there. Westburg is the projected starting third baseman who can also play second, though he's currently recovering from a tweaked right oblique.
Holliday said he "had a good offseason besides this" and was encouraged by the early work he was putting in in Sarasota before getting hurt.
"I only had like five live at-bats, but in those five live at-bats, I felt pretty good and was pretty excited about the stuff that I worked on and kind of the experience that I had this offseason, getting to learn from some guys," Holliday said. "Excited to watch these guys and kind of take mental reps, I guess."
As Holliday watches his teammates, he'll get first looks at new faces such as Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Alexander and others -- acquisitions who Holliday believes have the O's set up for success in 2026.
"It’s a pretty good lineup. It’s pretty fun to be in this locker room with these guys, and some of our additions are pretty good players," Holliday said with a smile. "For us to go out and get some guys, it’s really cool. To just understand kind of the team that we have and the potential that we have is really exciting going into the year, for sure."