Jackson Holliday Demoted from Orioles after Struggles in Majors

Rising baseball star Jackson Holliday has been demoted from the major league roster of the Baltimore Orioles following an unproductive stint with the team. The 20-year-old second baseman, who was selected as the top pick in last year’s MLB draft, struggled during his time at the highest level and failed to make a significant impact on the field. Holliday managed just two hits from his first 36 plate appearances with the Orioles, striking out an astonishing 18 times along the way while recording one RBI. As he continued to endure struggles, attempts by manager Brandon Hyde to give him occasional breaks were fruitless. Consequently, Holliday returned to Norfolk this week in a bid to regain his form at the plate after batting .333 with five doubles and two home runs during 10 games there earlier in the season. Despite performing well in minor league competitions last year and dominating Triple-A pitchers, Holliday’s successes failed to translate into results on a major league stage this month. “You are talking about somebody who has never failed before,” Hyde explained recently. “I don’t think anybody except for the people down here in uniform understands how hard it is.” The Orioles selected outfielder Ryan McKenna from their Triple-A affiliate, Norfolk, as part of a roster reshuffle on Friday while designating catcher David Bañuelos for assignment. Holliday’s demotion could cost the team a prospect promotion draft pick due to specific conditions surrounding players with minimal or no major league service time that must be adhered to in order to qualify them as prospects eligible for such picks. These rules stipulate that these individuals either win their respective leagues’ Rookie of the Year award, finish among the top three vote-getters for MVP and Cy Young awards, or spend most of the year playing at a major league level.