Orioles To Give Jackson Holliday Reps At Third Base During Rehab
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is expected to start at third base for Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday. It’ll be his third professional appearance at the hot corner. Holliday is working his way back from a hamate bone fracture. The 22-year-old has been almost exclusively a second baseman at the big-league level.
“We talked to him, see where his head is at, and he was for it,” manager Craig Albernaz told reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASN. “I think if you look at our roster, versatility is something that we need.”
Holliday was one of three notable hamate injuries in the spring, along with Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll. While Lindor and Carroll were ready for Opening Day, Holliday has struggled to make it back to the majors. He’s had his rehab paused multiple times due to soreness in his surgically repaired hand. Holliday was in the Baysox lineup on Thursday after a two-week absence from minor league action.
It’s been three years since Holliday has appeared at third base. He played there for one game apiece at High-A and Double-A during the 2023 campaign. Holliday has made 188 starts at second base as a big leaguer. He’s made seven starts at shortstop. The defensive metrics have not been kind to Holliday. He posted -10 Defensive Runs Saved as Baltimore’s primary second baseman in 2025. Holliday ranked in the 5th percentile with -8 Outs Above Average. He’s been worth -2 DRS in his limited time at shortstop.
The Orioles haven’t just been missing Holliday in the infield this season. Third baseman Jordan Westburg has yet to suit up after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear during Spring Training. He was recently shut down from baseball activities due to elbow pain, per Kubatko. Albernaz relayed that Westburg has a follow-up appointment on Monday.
Holliday’s injury opened up playing time for Jeremiah Jackson. The 26-year-old got off to a strong start as the primary option at the keystone. Jackson had a .768 OPS at the end of April, punctuated by a grand slam on the final day of the month. He’s just 3-for-23 so far in May, but he’s mostly held his own as an everyday player. Jackson has been worth 4 DRS at second base.
It hasn’t gone so well for Westburg’s replacement. Coby Mayo is hitting .163 with a 29.9% strikeout rate through 33 games. The 24-year-old has the seventh-lowest wRC+ (42) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Mayo has posted -3 DRS at third base. He’s now at -7 DRS in 42 big-league games at the position. Weston Wilson and Blaze Alexander have also chipped in at third base, with uninspiring offensive results.
Getting Holliday up to speed at third base would give Albernaz the option to keep Jackson in the lineup. Jackson himself has big-league experience at the hot corner, but Baltimore may prefer to keep his glove at second base. At the very least, it’ll add some lineup flexibility once Holliday is ready to return.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
Orioles Notes: Akin, Kittredge, O’Neill, Kremer, Holliday
Injuries have (again) been a major storyline of the Orioles’ season, but the team announced today that left-hander Keegan Akin has been activated from the 15-day injured list. Akin’s return comes a day after Andrew Kittredge and Tyler O’Neill were both activated Friday from the 15-day IL and seven-day concussion IL, respectively. Right-hander Cameron Foster was optioned to Triple-A for Akin, while outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez and right-hander Jose Espada were optioned to Triple-A yesterday for Kittredge and O’Neill.
Both Akin (groin strain) and Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) had spent the entire season on the IL, and Kittredge made his season debut yesterday, tossing a 1-2-3 inning out of the bullpen in the Orioles’ 10-3 win over the Red Sox. Initially signed to a one-year, $9MM contract in the 2024-25 offseason, Kittredge was dealt to the Cubs at last summer’s trade deadline, but Chicago then swapped Kittredge back to Baltimore in early November, and the O’s exercised a $9MM club option on the reliever’s services for 2026.
Kittredge and Akin are expected to be high-leverage arms in Baltimore’s pen, and Akin is the team’s top left-handed relief option. With both Akin and Dietrich Enns out of action, Grant Wolfram had been the Orioles’ only southpaw reliever for the last several days.
O’Neill was sidelined after hitting .241/.353/.345 over his first 34 plate appearances, and since he didn’t play yesterday, April 8 remains the outfielder’s last game. The always-uncertain nature of concussion symptoms led to an absence of over two weeks, yet hopefully O’Neill has now put the issue entirely behind him.
Even with three players now back in action, Baltimore’s injured list remains 10 players deep. Dean Kremer was the latest player sidelined, as the right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to April 20) due to a right quad strain. Right-hander Brandon Young was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Young started Friday’s game in Kremer’s place, getting the win while allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings of work.
Young will probably get an extended run as Baltimore’s fifth starter since Kremer will miss “several weeks,” as O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters. Elias said Kremer’s injury surfaced during his between-starts prep work, and that “our plan is to try to keep his arm in as good of shape as possible because it’s not bothering him too much to throw right now, but we’ve got to let that thing heal and get his lower body condition back.”
The injury is another setback in what has already been an unusual season for Kremer, who began the season in Triple-A simply because the Orioles had five preferred options in their starting rotation. Zach Eflin‘s Tommy John surgery created an avenue for Kremer’s return, and the righty posted a 4.09 ERA over two starts and 11 innings before his quad strain surfaced.
With Kremer out and Eflin gone for the entire season, Cade Povich is now the Orioles’ top depth arm if another injury should strike the rotation. Albert Suarez and Tyler Wells are both ex-starters turned into multi-inning relievers, and conceivably either pitcher could be stretched out again for at least a piggyback type of role if even more starting help was needed beyond Povich.
Elias provided some updates to Kubatko and company on several other O’s players, including the news that Enns (foot infection) also seems to be nearing a return from the 15-day IL. Heston Kjerstad (hamstring strain) has yet to play this season, but is participating in full baseball activities and could be close to a minor league rehab assignment.
Concerns were raised earlier this week when Jackson Holliday underwent a fresh set of tests on his injured right hand, but Elias said the MRI, CT scan, and x-rays all came back clean. Holliday underwent hamate bone surgery on February 12 and was expected to start playing within the usual four to eight weeks, but his rehab work has now been paused twice due to continued soreness in the right hand.
Holliday discussed his latest setback with reporters yesterday, saying that a foul tip in Tuesday’s rehab game left him feeling “like I broke my hand again. Obviously, kind of concerning taking a swing and having that kind of pain, but I guess it’s not normal, but obviously nothing structurally wrong, and I guess whenever a tendon rolls over a nerve it can kind of cause that.”
The plan is to keep Holliday shut down for another week before restarting the rehab process. The clean tests at least provided some evidence that Holliday’s continued hand problems aren’t anything overtly serious, and Elias described the situation as “all within the possible normal spectrum of outcomes with the hamate injury….We’ve seen these come really quick for some players, and others take a long time to feel like themselves. So we want to let him get through this on an individual basis, and we’re giving him as much time as he needs, but we’re eager to have him back and welcome back with open arms once he’s ready.”
Jackson Holliday Undergoing MRI For Continued Hand Discomfort
Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday is in Baltimore for another MRI on his ailing right hand, the team announced to reporters (link via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner). The O’s will likely have further updates once the imaging has been performed. However, with an off-day tomorrow, said update might not come before Friday.
Holliday suffered a broken hamate bone during a batting practice swing early in spring training. He had surgery on Feb. 12 to remove the hamate hook — standard procedure for hitters who incur this injury. That surgery typically comes with a recovery period of four to eight weeks, but Holliday hasn’t been able to get back on track. The O’s halted his first rehab stint and sent him for additional testing. He went out on a new rehab stint a few days later but has now been pulled back again after experiencing another painful swing.
Now more than two months removed from the surgery, Holliday still doesn’t appear all that close to joining the Orioles. The 22-year-old has taken 56 plate appearances between High-A Frederick and Triple-A Norfolk during his pair of rehab stints and carries an anemic .176/.250/.235 batting line with a 23.2% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate. He’s averaged 86.3 mph off the bat with just a 26.7% hard-hit rate in his 47 plate appearances in Norfolk.
With Holliday sidelined, the Orioles have given utilityman Jeremiah Jackson the lion’s share of playing time at second base. He’s responded with a stout .297/.321/.527 batting line (136 wRC+) and five home runs in 78 turns at the plate.
Whether he can sustain that is an open question. Jackson has benefited from a .327 average on balls in play — a higher-than-average mark, but not egregiously so. (League average thus far is .289.) However, he’s walked only three times (2.6%), and his 73.2% contact rate ranks 139th among the 195 MLB hitters who’ve tallied at least 70 plate appearances this season. His free-swinging, low-contact approach could well prove exploitable over a larger sample, but for the time being, Jackson has more than capably held down the fort at the keystone.
Holliday’s eventual return could have ramifications around the infield. If Jackson is still hitting well, he could slide over to third base in place of former top prospect Coby Mayo. The expectation was that Mayo’s bat would be fine at the hot corner in place of the injured Jordan Westburg, but there were substantial questions about his defense. The inverse has played out. Mayo has looked plenty solid with the glove, but he’s continued to flounder against big league pitchers, hitting just .158/.262/.246 with a homer and a 27.7% strikeout rate. Mayo has drawn plenty of walks but hasn’t hit the ball hard (86.3 mph average exit velocity, 33.3% hard-hit rate).
Time will tell how much longer Holliday remains sidelined, but recent developments certainly aren’t encouraging. The former No. 1 pick hit .242/.314/.375 with 17 homers and 17 steals last year as a 21-year-old in his first full major league season.
AL East Injury Notes: Yesavage, Springer, Holliday, Uceta
Injuries come frequently in April, but the AL East seems particularly snake-bitten to begin the season. The Blue Jays have had several key players go down since the start of Spring Training. The Orioles are missing most of their young offensive core. The Rays and Red Sox haven’t had any debilitating absences, but both squads have been without important pieces.
Here’s a rundown of injury updates from around the division, starting with the reigning AL champs…
Toronto
- Trey Yesavage (shoulder) will make another rehab start on Tuesday at Triple-A. The goal will be 75 pitches, to “let him feel that one more time,” manager John Schneider told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Yesavage got up to 71 pitches in his outing with Buffalo on Wednesday.
- Jose Berrios (elbow) will make his next rehab start on Wednesday. He threw 38 pitches in his first outing on Thursday. The righty was knocked around for five earned runs over 2 2/3 innings. Fellow veteran Shane Bieber (forearm) threw a bullpen on Friday. He was recently moved to the 60-day IL. To round out the rotation injuries, Cody Ponce underwent ACL repair surgery and hopes to return for Spring Training in 2027. (h/t to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic for listing the injuries in one post)
- On the hitting side, George Springer (toe) is still hitting but has yet to progress to running. The same goes for Addison Barger (ankles), though he’s expected to start running next week. Springer is on track to make it back before Barger and might not need a rehab assignment, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.
Baltimore
- Jackson Holliday is set to be in the lineup for High-A Frederick this weekend, the team announced. The infielder is recovering from a hamate fracture. He was recently pulled off the rehab assignment after experiencing wrist soreness at Triple-A Norfolk. Holliday had scuffled to a .167/.239/.214 line in 11 games with the Tides. The second baseman’s absence has led to the emergence of Jeremiah Jackson. The 26-year-old utilityman had a 151 wRC+ heading into Friday’s action. That’s likely to go up after a go-ahead three-run homer against the Guardians.
- Adley Rutschman ran, hit, and caught a bullpen session on Friday, relays Jake Rill of MLB.com. The catcher is nursing an ankle injury. Rutschman is eligible to return on Tuesday, but he might need rehab games first.
- Also from Rill, outfielder Tyler O’Neill is not ready to return from the 7-day concussion IL. He’s been out since April 8. “Still has some boxes to check and go from there,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Obviously, with a concussion, it’s very touch and go.”
Tampa Bay
- Right-hander Edwin Uceta is still experiencing issues with his shoulder, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’ll be shut down for the next few days. After a pair of scoreless frames to begin his rehab assignment, Uceta has allowed three earned runs on six hits over his last two appearances.
- Gavin Lux was trending toward a Triple-A return on Friday, Topkin noted yesterday. However, the former Dodger was not in the Durham lineup tonight. Lux is working his way back from a shoulder injury. He hasn’t played since Saturday after injuring his ankle.
Boston
- Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com ran through several health updates for the Red Sox. Right-hander Kutter Crawford hasn’t resumed throwing and might require an MRI following elbow soreness. He missed all of 2025 with knee and wrist injuries. Crawford gave up five earned runs over three innings of work in his first rehab outing on Saturday. He reported the elbow issue shortly after.
- Reliever Justin Slaten will not return from his oblique strain when first eligible on Monday. He’s just now resuming throwing, relayed manager Alex Cora. It’s unclear when Slaten will progress to a rehab assignment.
- Left-hander Patrick Sandoval is slated for another rehab start on Sunday at Triple-A. He’s coming back from UCL surgery. Sandoval has thrown 63 and 59 pitches in his first two rehab outings.
- Sandoval’s teammate with Worcester, Tyler Uberstine, was placed on the IL with shoulder soreness. The righty was promoted earlier this season when Johan Oviedo went down with an elbow strain. Uberstine allowed a run over 2 2/3 innings in his big-league debut, taking the loss against the Padres.
- Romy Gonzalez, the lone update on the hitting side, has yet to resume baseball activities. He underwent shoulder surgery in March. Gonzalez is on the 60-day IL and won’t be back until the end of May at the earliest.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images
Orioles Place Ryan Mountcastle On 60-Day IL, Select Weston Wilson
4:12pm: The Orioles officially announced that Wilson’s contract has been selected and that Mountcastle has been placed on the 60-day IL. That’s one of just several moves for the O’s today. Baltimore also recalled righty Dean Kremer earlier today and just announced the acquisition of corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand in a cash swap with the Reds.
3:43pm: Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle is headed to the injured list after suffering a broken fourth metacarpal in his left foot while legging out a double this past weekend, manager Craig Albernaz tells the Baltimore beat (link via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). Albernaz didn’t tip the team’s hand on whether Mountcastle would head to the 10-day or 60-day IL, suggesting only that both are under consideration. He added that he has not yet been told whether surgery is on the table.
Kubatko adds that infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson is on the Orioles’ taxi squad at the moment, making him a likely replacement, though the team hasn’t announced anything on that front. Jackson Holliday is with the club today at Camden Yards but is not yet ready for reinstatement from the IL. He’s merely taking some infield drills while Triple-A Norfolk is off. Holliday has yet to play this season after suffering a hamate fracture early in spring training.
Wilson isn’t on the 40-man roster, so assuming he is indeed the corresponding move, he’d need to have his contract selected. The Orioles have a full 40-man roster, though if Mountcastle heads to the 60-day IL, that’d open a spot.
The 29-year-old Mountcastle has hit decently in a far more limited role than he’s used to so far in 2026. He’s appeared in eight games and tallied only 15 plate appearances, going 4-for-14 with a double and a walk in that time. Baltimore’s signing of Pete Alonso and the ascension of catcher/designated hitter Samuel Basallo has substantially cut into Mountcastle’s playing time.
Even before the O’s signed Alonso, Mountcastle looked like a prime non-tender candidate. Injuries limited him to 89 games last season, and he slashed just .250/.286/.367 (81 wRC+) when healthy. He was due for one final raise in arbitration, and with a $6.787MM salary last year, he felt like a relatively pricey rebound candidate, given his limited defensive utility. Baltimore also had longtime top prospect Coby Mayo ready for a full-time run at first base (though obviously the Alonso signing changed that calculus).
The Orioles made the somewhat surprising call to tender him. They wound up coaxing some additional value by getting Mountcastle to agree to repeat his 2025 salary and tack on a $7.5MM club option for what should’ve been his first free agent year in 2026. However, Mountcastle still entered camp with a “square peg in a round hole” vibe as a clearly imperfect fit for an Orioles roster that had changed considerably since his run as a regular in the middle of the order. Unsurprisingly, the O’s looked into various trade possibilities throughout spring training, but no deal came together.
Mountcastle now heads to the injured list for a potentially prolonged absence. He’ll join third baseman Jordan Westburg, who’s hoping to avoid Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a UCL tear, in that regard. With Westburg sidelined, the aforementioned Mayo has been manning the hot corner but has struggled with the bat. An absence of some note for Mountcastle could give Mayo a longer leash to get right at the plate even when Holliday and possibly Westburg return to the fold.
Wilson, 31, was an offseason waiver claim out of the Phillies organization. He’s spent parts of the past three seasons in the majors with Philadelphia, hitting a combined .242/.328/.428 with nine home runs in 245 trips to the plate. Almost all of that production came in 2023-24, however. Wilson hit just .198/.282/.369 in a career-high 125 plate appearances in 2025 but raked at a .288/.375/.490 clip the prior two seasons.
Wilson has never hit righties much but feasted on southpaws in ’23-’24 before taking a huge step back in ’25. Even with last year’s lack of production in platoon settings, he’s a career .250/.359/.475 hitter (130 wRC+) against left-handed pitching. Wilson also owns a solid .247/.339/.462 output in nearly 1700 plate appearances of Triple-A work and will give Baltimore an option at all four corner positions. He batted .233/.395/.433 in 36 spring plate appearances but has mustered only a .195/.298/.366 slash in a comparable sample at Triple-A this year.
Orioles Designate Jackson Kowar For Assignment
The Orioles finalized their Opening Day roster, announcing that right-hander Jackson Kowar and infielder Bryan Ramos were designated for assignment. (Ramos’ DFA was originally reported last night.) Baltimore also placed Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the 10-day IL. Holliday is recovering from a hamate fracture, and Westburg is attempting to rehab a UCL tear. Righties Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) and lefty Keegan Akin (groin strain) open the season on the 15-day IL.
Outfielder Dylan Beavers will avoid an IL stint after dealing with a knee issue late in camp. He’s on the Opening Day roster. Utilityman Jeremiah Jackson also grabbed an Opening Day spot. Righties Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez won bullpen spots, as did southpaw Grant Wolfram. Righty Albert Suarez, who had an opt-out in his minor league deal, was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, so it seems he’ll forgo that opt-out and agree to open the season with the Orioles’ Triple-A club.
A hard-throwing former first-rounder with experience in parts of three MLB seasons, the 29-year-old Kowar allowed one run in six spring frames for the O’s. He walked four and struck out four. The former Florida Gator has an ERA north of 8.00 in 91 MLB frames, though he posted a 4.24 mark in 17 innings with Seattle last year. He’s still looking for his first real opportunity post-Tommy John surgery and has been regularly bounced around the waiver/DFA circuit dating back to last season.
Jackson had been in a battle for the final bench spot with several others, but he’s increasingly seemed like the favorite. Baltimore granted veteran Thairo Estrada his release a couple days ago, shortly after infielder Luis Vázquez suffered a broken thumb. Jackson and Ramos looked like the final two candidates for that spot, so when it was reported last night that Ramos was being DFA, Jackson’s spot looked all but secure barring a last-minute acquisition.
The 25-year-old (26 tomorrow) isn’t going to sustain the .365 BABIP that led to last year’s .276/.328/.447 debut effort, but he’s a versatile right-handed bat who can back up at multiple infield and outfield spots. With Holliday and Westburg beginning the season on the injured list, the Orioles are entrusting third base and second base to Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander, respectively. Neither has much big league experience — not that Jackson does either — so it’s sensible to have another capable option at each spot.
Suarez reportedly drew interest from other clubs but will seemingly stick around as a depth option. It’s a nice luxury for the O’s to have. The 36-year-old righty has given Baltimore a 3.59 ERA in 145 1/3 frames across the past two seasons but was non-tendered in the November after a flexor strain ended his 2025 season. He returned on a minor league pact and will presumably open the year in Norfolk.
Orioles Notes: Kittredge, Wells, Bautista, Holliday
Orioles righty Andrew Kittredge has been slowed by shoulder inflammation and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, manager Craig Albernaz announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). A season-opening IL stint for the veteran setup man seems likely.
Kittredge, 36 later this month, spent the bulk of the 2025 season with Baltimore after signing a one-year, $10MM contract in free agency. The O’s flipped him to the Cubs in July, netting teenage shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz in that deadline swap. Chicago then traded Kittredge back to Baltimore following the season, before the decision on his 2026 club option was due. The O’s sent cash back to the Cubs in that second swap and promptly exercised Kittredge’s $9MM option.
The hope at the time of that reacquisition was that Kittredge could reprise his role as a key late-inning arm at Camden Yards. His 2025 season was delayed by a debridement procedure in his knee during spring training, but Kittredge was sharp when on the mound. In 53 innings (31 1/3 in Baltmore, 21 2/3 in Chicago) he pitched to a combined 3.40 earned run average with a big 30.8% strikeout rate and tidy 5.3% walk rate. He kept 49.2% of the batted balls against him on the ground and recorded an excellent 14.7% swinging-strike rate. Kittredge tallied 15 holds and five saves; he was only charged with one blown save on the season.
The O’s are already without closer Félix Bautista for most or all of the 2026 season after he underwent shoulder surgery in late August. (He threw for the first time since surgery yesterday, Kubatko notes, but still has a long rehab process ahead of him.) The Orioles signed Ryan Helsley two a two-year deal (the second season being a player option) to fill Bautista’s role. Kittredge would’ve been one of the primary setup options to begin the season, but those opportunities will now fall to a combination of Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin and perhaps some other in-house arms who step up.
One such possibility is right-hander Tyler Wells, who has been officially informed that he’ll pitch in relief this coming season (via MLB.com’s Jake Rill). Albernaz referred to Wells as a “Swiss army knife” who can pitch in virtually any role, be it in the rotation, long relief or more pressure-packed, late-inning settings. “He can pitch leverage,” Albernaz said of Wells. “He has the stuff for it, he has the makeup.”
Wells, 31, came to the Orioles from the Twins in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. He was solid in a low-leverage relief role as a rookie in 2021, then gave Baltimore 222 1/3 innings of respectable 3.93 ERA ball while working primarily as a starter in 2022-23. Injuries have derailed him since. He’s pitched only seven times in the majors across the past two seasons, thanks to a UCL tear that necessitated surgery.
Fifty of Wells’ past 55 major league appearances have been starts, but he’ll move back to a relief role and hope to emerge as a contributor in a bullpen that needs a few things to break its way this coming season. The O’s are banking on a rebound from Helsley, who had a dreadful finish to the 2025 season after being traded to the Mets. They’re also hoping the aforementioned Cano can rebound — if not all the way to his 2023 All-Star form then at least to something closer to his 2024 output (3.15 ERA) than his 2025 results (5.12 ERA).
A healthy and productive Wells could be a boon in a short relief role. Wells sat 92-93 mph with his heater as a starter but averaged better than 95 mph on the pitch back in 2021. His career 11.6% swinging-strike rate is a slight bit better than average, but he was at 13.3% during that lone bullpen season. Wells has shown good command throughout his major league career (6.2 BB%), but his 29% strikeout rate as a rookie reliever sits well above his career 22.8% mark.
Injured second baseman Jackson Holliday also provided reporters with an update, revealing that he’ll begin swinging a bat tomorrow (link via the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka). He also began throwing last week.
Holliday suffered a fractured hamate bone in his right hand/wrist early in camp and underwent surgery to address the issue (removing the fractured “hook” from the bone in question). It’s a common injury and procedure for position players and tends to come with a recovery period between four and eight weeks. The expectation is that Holliday will be sidelined to begin the season, but his return shouldn’t come too far into the regular season. With Holliday and Jordan Westburg down to begin the season, the O’s will turn to a combination of Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, Jeremiah Jackson, Bryan Ramos and non-roster veteran Thairo Estrada at second base and third base early in the year.
MLBTR Podcast: The Tigers’ Rotation, A Brewers-Red Sox Trade, And Late Free-Agent Signings
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Tarik Skubal winning his arbitration hearing against the Tigers (1:30)
- The Tigers loading up the rotation by signing Framber Valdez and also Justin Verlander but losing Reese Olson for the year (13:25)
- The six-player trade between the Red Sox and Brewers headlined by Caleb Durbin and Kyle Harrison, with Milwaukee then signing Luis Rengifo (24:15)
- The Orioles signing Chris Bassitt and losing Jackson Holliday to injury (35:35)
- The Diamondbacks signing Zac Gallen and potentially losing Corbin Carroll to the injured list (44:30)
- The Braves losing Spencer Schwellenbach and maybe Hurston Waldrep while showing little urgency about bolstering the rotation (52:20)
- Tony Clark stepping down as MLBPA executive director, recorded as the news was still trickling out (59:15)
Check out our past episodes!
- Twins Front Office Shake-Up, The Brendan Donovan Trade, Eugenio Suarez, And More! – listen here
- Examining MLB’s Parity Situation – Also, Bellinger, Peralta, Robert, And Gore – listen here
- What The Tucker And Bichette Contracts Mean For Baseball – Also, Nolan Arenado And Ranger Suarez – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images
Jackson Holliday To Begin Season On Injured List Following Hamate Surgery
Feb. 12: Holliday had successful surgery today to address his fractured hamate bone, according to multiple reports, including from Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun. The second baseman is expected to be sidelined several weeks beyond Opening Day.
Feb. 11: Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will open the 2026 season on the injured list after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his right hand during live batting practice on Feb. 6, president of baseball operations Mike Elias announced to the team’s beat this morning (link via Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner). He’ll likely miss the first several weeks of the season.
Elias also added that infielder Jordan Westburg suffered an oblique injury three weeks ago while training but is only expected to miss the first few games of Grapefruit League play (via MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko). The team isn’t concerned about his Opening Day status at this juncture. Righty Colin Selby, meanwhile, is dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder and is expected to open the season on the injured list (per Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun).
The Holliday injury is the most notable of the bunch. The former No. 1 pick and top prospect had been in line to open the season at second base after hitting .242/.314/.375 with 17 homers and 17 steals in his age-21 season with the O’s last year. Second base will now presumably fall to some combination of trade acquisition Blaze Alexander and utilityman Jeremiah Jackson. Alternatively, Baltimore could play Westburg at second base and give Coby Mayo some run at third base to begin the season.
Many fans on social media were quick to jump to the conclusion that the Holliday injury was a driving factor behind Baltimore’s acquisition of Alexander in last week’s trade with the Diamondbacks. However, the timing was a matter of happenstance; Holliday actually suffered the fracture in his hand/wrist the day after the Alexander trade was completed. Perhaps there was some modest concern about Westburg’s oblique at the time, but Holliday’s injury didn’t have any impact on that swap.
Hamate fractures are relatively common. Stars Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll are currently in similar boats at the moment. The resulting surgery typically sidelines players for anywhere from four to eight weeks. Hand injuries of this nature can often have a lingering impact on a player’s power output even after he’s cleared to return to the field, though every case is unique unto itself, of course. Assuming Holliday indeed hits the injured list, this will the first major league IL placement of his young career.
As for Selby, there’s less certainty on his outlook at the moment. The Orioles acquired him from the Royals in a July 2024 swap sending cash back to Kansas City. He spent the rest of that year and the majority of the 2025 season in Triple-A, but the 28-year-old righty was effective in 14 big league frames in 2025. Those 14 innings came over the life of 11 appearances and saw Selby hold opponents to five runs (3.21 ERA) on 16 hits and just two walks with 14 strikeouts. Selby also tossed 25 2/3 innings of 2.45 ERA ball at the Triple-A level, fanning 31.5% of his opponents there.
Selby’s IL placement opens up some space in the team’s Opening Day bullpen competition, which could create an easier path for lefty Grant Wolfram, righty Yaramil Hiraldo or out-of-options right-hander Rico Garcia. Right-hander Chayce McDermott, too, could find himself in that mix. He’s been a starter in the past, but Elias said today that the 27-year-old righty will be used as a reliever in the upcoming season (via Kostka). Righty Tyler Wells, meanwhile, will build up as a starter. There’s currently no clear rotation opening for him, but stretching out in camp will create some insurance for rotation injuries. Wells could open the season in a long relief role in the ‘pen or in the rotation with Triple-A Norfolk; he still has two minor league option years remaining.
Grayson Rodriguez To Start Season On IL; Andrew Kittredge To Miss Months
TODAY: Rodriguez was diagnosed with elbow inflammation and he received a cortisone shot to deal with the issue, Hyde told reporters (including the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka). The plan is for Rodriguez to be shut down for 7-10 days to let the shot take effect, and the right-hander will then start a throwing program.
March 8: Kittredge underwent left knee debridement on Friday, the Orioles revealed to reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The team described the procedure as “successful.”
March 7: Orioles manager Brandon Hyde provided members of the media with updates on various injured players today. Most notably, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is going to start the season on the injured list due to some discomfort in his elbow/triceps area, though Hyde emphasized that there’s no concern about the righty’s ligament. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner was among those to relay the info. Additionally, righty Andrew Kittredge is going to have arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss multiple months, per Kostka.
Rodriguez had diminished velocity in his most recent start and later told reporters that he felt “sluggish” and “flat” during the outing. Hyde eventually revealed that Rodriguez was battling some soreness in his triceps. It seems the club is still working on firming up the diagnosis but has enough info to determine that Rodriguez won’t be ready by Opening Day. “It’s not a ligament issue, so we’re not concerned about that,” Hyde said, per Kostka. “But it’s going to result in some missed time. … Right now, we’re still getting opinions.”
Time will tell about the long-term picture, but the O’s will have to make a rotation pivot in the short term. Without Rodriguez, four rotation spots will be taken by Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and Dean Kremer. Hyde said today that the final rotation spot will likely come down to Albert Suárez or Cade Povich, per Kostka.
Suárez, 35, spent the 2019 to 2023 seasons pitching in Asia. He returned to affiliated ball with the O’s last year and had good results in a swing role. He made 24 starts and eight relief appearances, tossing 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 earned run average. He only struck out 19.1% of batters faced but limited walks to a 7.6% clip. He projected to be in a long relief role to start the year. If he jumps into the rotation, perhaps Roansy Contreras will take over as the long man since the O’s are stretching him out.
Povich, 25 in April, was a top 100 prospect going into 2024 but didn’t excel in his first taste of the majors. He made 16 starts last year with a 5.20 ERA, 19.6% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. But his minor league numbers were better, as he logged 77 2/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 3.48 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. He still has options and could be in the Triple-A rotation if not in the majors.
Ideally, one of those arms will cover the rotation spot for a few turns while Rodriguez gets healthy. Though if it’s eventually determined that he’s facing a longer absence, perhaps the club will look for external help. The free agent market still features Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Spencer Turnbull and others. Pitchers such as Jordan Montgomery and Taijuan Walker are likely available on the trade block.
As for Kittredge, it’s an unfortunate blow since the O’s made a notable investment in him less than two months ago. In mid-January, Baltimore signed Kittredge to a one-year, $10MM deal, hoping to have him take up a key role in the club’s bullpen. But he recently experienced some soreness in his left knee and was sent for some testing, which revealed the need for this operation.
This isn’t the first time an injury has intervened in the righty’s career. Kittredge had a 1.88 ERA in 71 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2021 but then Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his next two seasons. He stayed healthy last year after being traded to the Cardinals and tossed 70 2/3 innings with a 2.80 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate. That spurred the O’s to give him an eight-figure deal but it now appears it will take several months for them to receive any kind of return on that investment.
Without Kittredge, the O’s still have many strong relief options, including Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin, Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. If the Kittredge injury sends them looking for external options, guys like David Robertson, Phil Maton and Joe Kelly are unsigned.
As for shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who is dealing with an intercostal strain, Hyde said he is still getting treatment. Per Jake Rill of MLB.com, Hyde said Jackson Holliday will be getting some shortstop reps and possibly Jordan Westburg as well, with the O’s looking to build contingency plans for the event Henderson misses time. Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball adds that Liván Soto and Luis Vázquez are also possibilities.
Both Holliday and Westburg played lots of shortstop in the minors and should be relatively fine in moving over there to cover for a bit, though they would create holes elsewhere. Holliday projects as the regular second baseman and Westburg the third baseman. Coby Mayo or Ramón Urías could perhaps cover third if Westburg is at short, though it sounds like Hyde might have a slight preference for Holliday, which would create a hole at the keystone. Urías has lots of second base experience, but roughly a quarter of the time he’s spent at third.
As for Soto and Vázquez, neither is on the 40-man roster at present. They both have plenty of minor league experience at second, third and short but they have played just 46 major league games between the two of them.