NORFOLK — The throws have been, comically, all over the place from Jackson Holliday this week.
As he’s attempted to transfer the ball from second base to first during pregame infield drills, the Norfolk Tides infielder has seen his throws sail high, wildly off-target and well short over and over again.
But it’s not that the 20-year-old Holliday doesn’t know what he’s doing out there.
He’s been making the throws with his glove.
Holliday, the top prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization, has been restricted to a designated hitter role since he recently noticed pain in his right elbow, possibly in his ulnar collateral ligament.
Holliday started a throwing progression Wednesday, tossing softly from up to 90 feet. He’ll likely stretch out the distance as his body dictates his ability to do so.
But he’s under strict orders to get creative to avoid using his right arm during drills.
He’s found it counterintuitive.
“Obviously, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Field it and throw it,” Holliday said, laughing moments after alternately throwing the ball to — well, near — first base with either his glove or his bare left hand. “But I have enough restraint to not throw with my right arm. But yeah, definitely different.”
The top overall pick in the 2022 draft out of an Oklahoma high school and, until recently, the consensus top prospect in all of baseball, Holliday told some people associated with his agency that he’d felt discomfort.
He was advised to have it checked out. Had the Orioles’ training staff determined that the soreness was anything remotely severe, he’d most certainly have been sent to the club’s player development complex in Florida.
“This is one of the prized jewels of this whole place, so they’re going to slow-play it,” Norfolk manager Buck Britton said. “They’re going to let him hit. They’re going to make sure that we take care of a young kid. No sense in trying to push anything.”
The lefty-swinging Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, entered Wednesday’s game against Charlotte batting .272 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs through 51 games with the Tides.
A 10-game audition with the Orioles in April proved disastrous: Holliday went 2 for 34 (.059) before being shipped back to Norfolk for further seasoning.
Since then, he’s made adjustments to both his stance and his swing load while focusing on hitting the ball to all fields.
Britton said the plan was for Holliday to make four to five plate appearances Wednesday, followed by a planned day off. He’ll then be in the DH role each full game until the International League’s All-Star break begins July 15.
Holliday went on Norfolk’s injured list on June 14. The Tides activated him as a DH on Tuesday.
Britton said the restraint is precautionary.
“There’s nothing structurally wrong,” Britton said. “It was just some soreness. We’re just going to make sure that he recovers well and he’s good to go whenever he starts playing both sides of the ball.”
Until then, the awkward, wrong-handed throws are likely to continue each time Holliday fields a pregame grounder.
Holliday, who signed with the Orioles for $8.19 million, said he wasn’t sore after playing catch Wednesday. But it was the initial fear that led him to go to the training staff.
“And I’m happy that I did, to be able to have some comfort knowing that everything is structurally great and no wear and tear,” Holliday said. “So I’m going to take some time and get it all healed up to hopefully make a run at the big league team after the All-Star break.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.
