Jackson Holliday will not be in the lineup tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, but he is expected to play the next two days as his rehab assignment stretches through next Wednesday. The Orioles are still treating his return as a health matter first, not a box-score chase.
That approach matters because Holliday has been out since he underwent surgery on Feb. 12 to remove a broken right hamate bone, and his work with the Tides has not been seamless. He has appeared in nine games and is 6-for-35 with two doubles and a.465 OPS, numbers that would look ugly if they were the only thing the club cared about. But Craig Albernaz said lingering discomfort after the surgery is common, and that each player comes back differently. He said the team is focused on making sure Holliday feels as healthy as he can and that, as long as his wrist and body feel great, the rest follows.
That is where the Orioles are drawing the line. Albernaz pointed to Chase DeLauter, who had a similar injury last year and dealt with discomfort for an extended period, as evidence that the recovery can drag even when the player is progressing. The message from the dugout is that Holliday’s rehab assignment is about readiness, not forcing a timetable because the calendar says he should be close.
The same day brought another roster hit. Dietrich Enns went on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 4 after an infected left foot worsened enough to send him to the emergency room in Pittsburgh for an antibiotic IV on Easter morning. Enns said he first noticed something wrong Saturday, when swelling developed near his big toe, and that he told the trainer, “Hey, something doesn’t feel right in there.” He said he was told it was an infection, and he is hoping the absence is short.
Enns said medication has already helped the foot improve, but the Orioles have not found a clear cause for the issue. That uncertainty fits the broader picture around the club right now: some problems are healing, some are being watched, and some are being handled one day at a time. Tyler O’Neill was scratched from the lineup because of illness, adding another layer to a roster already being asked to absorb moving parts.
There has been some good news in the margins. Rico Garcia has become the first Oriole to not allow a hit while also collecting a win and save through his first six outings of a season, and Taylor Ward is the first player to have nine doubles through his first 12 games with the club. The bullpen has also not allowed an inherited runner to score in 13 chances, a small but meaningful sign of control in a season where availability has already become a test.
For now, the clearest read is that the Orioles are being careful with Holliday because they can afford to be. If he feels right over the next two days, next Wednesday becomes less of a checkpoint than a formality. If he does not, the team has already signaled it will wait.
