"That’s not the way to go" - Mets star Francisco Lindor reflects on Orioles' decision to demote Jackson Holliday to AAA after disastrous MLB debut
The Baltimore Orioles brought up Jackson Holliday to the majors earlier this month to provide a much-needed boost. They had high expectations from him after his impressive performance in the minors and spring training.
However, Holliday didn’t do well, only managing two hits, both singles, in his first 10 games. He recorded a dismal slash line of .059/.111/.059 with two walks in 36 plate appearances.
On Friday, the Orioles announced that the 20-year-old would return to Triple-A Norfolk.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor reacted to the decision to send Holliday down to the minors.
“Not that I’m a GM or a coach or ever will be, but I would not have sent him down. From my experience, that’s not the way to go. Let him try to figure it out here and go get ’em,” Lindor said (via New York Post).
Lindor also recalled his struggles in the majors. In July 2015, Lindor, who had been playing in the major leagues for about 21 games, had only hit .205 with an OPS of .492 while playing for the Cleveland Indians.
He recalled that his manager, Terry Francona, had a talk with him that was a major turning point.
“I was struggling and one day Francona opened the door in the clubhouse one day and said, ‘You ain’t going anywhere.’ He said, ‘You’re going to be hitting second every single day. Go get ’em.’ That turned my career around," Lindor said.
“He would benefit from going back" — Orioles GM on Jackson Holliday's minor league shift
The Orioles optioned Jackson Holliday to Norfolk, with the hope that he will improve and gain confidence.
"We decided to call him up and see how the translation to the major leagues would go on a short-term basis," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said.
"What we have seen here led me to the evaluation and opinion that he would benefit from going back and adjusting there rather than doing it here in real time."
Holliday was hitting .333 with five doubles, two homers and nine RBIs in just 10 games before being called up.