Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will miss Opening Day due to a broken hamate bone in his right hand, general manager Mike Elias announced on Wednesday morning.
Holliday, who sustained the injury during live batting practice last Friday, will undergo a procedure to address the issue on Thursday. His timeline for recovery likely will be measured in weeks, per Elias.
“It’s a pretty common baseball injury for a very long time, happens to hitters a lot and it’s nothing concerning long term, but he’s going to miss some time,” Elias said. “You’re not going to see much of him here in Sarasota.”
Holliday, 22, batted just .242 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs in 149 games last season.
He is the top overall pick of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft and the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday.
New acquisition Blaze Alexander likely will take the younger Holliday’s place in the field.
“I just feel for Jackson,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “He had a great offseason and comes in here early and he’s looking great, and a freak thing (happens). … But his mindset right now is great. He’s going to get the surgery and go through the process of rehab and he’ll be ready to go.”
Also on Wednesday, Elias announced third baseman Jordan Westburg is nursing a right oblique injury. The injury, however, is not expected to prevent Westburg from playing at the start of the regular season.
–Field Level Media
