Jackson Holliday's return to Baltimore could be Orioles biggest trade deadline addition

After an extremely busy week, Orioles fans finally got to take a deep breath around 7pm on Tuesday evening. There's a lot to process after the trade deadline and the flurry of moves the O's made, including how the rotation and bullpen will look after such a significant shake up.

However, Mike Elias decided to keep fans on their toes with a major roster move late Tuesday evening. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reported that the Orioles have decided to recall top prospect Jackson Holliday, who will make his way to Baltimore for Wednesday's game.

After the O's traded second baseman Connor Norby to Miami on Tuesday afternoon, there was a brief period of speculation about whether Holliday would rejoin the team. However, that speculation was immediately met with the news that Terrin Vavra would be taking Norby's spot on the active roster.

Four trades later, the O's found space and a need for Holliday and he'll get the opportunity to redeem himself after a lackluster debut earlier this spring.

Jackson Holliday could prove to be the season's most important addition

With infielder Jorge Mateo expected to miss significant time after dislocating his elbow last week, the O's have an open spot in the lineup. Holliday's return to Baltimore will allow Brandon Hyde to keep All-Star Jordan Westburg at third base full time, and should let Holliday get the lion's share of the playing time at second.

Overall, the Orioles lineup has been strong this year but there are a couple weak spots, specifically with Mateo's and Cedric Mullins' offensive production. Holliday has been lights out in Triple-A Norfolk since getting sent back down earlier this year and will look to carry over some of that production to the major league lineup.

One of the biggest signals for Holliday's readiness is his elite plate discipline down in Norfolk. He's currently running a 21.7% walk rate in Triple-A and is striking out just 22% of the time. While Holliday had major problems with strikeouts in his brief appearance in Baltimore, he's shown increased patience over the past two months that should lead to results in the majors.

In addition to the plate discipline, Holliday is showing off the power a bit, slugging .477 while mashing 10 homers. He's also chipped in 8 steals and leads the International League with 75 runs scored, thanks in part to a Juan Soto-esque .431 OBP.

Of all the moves the Orioles made this past week, Holliday's addition to the lineup could prove to be the most impactful. He's still arguably the best prospect in the sport and if he lives up to the hype, the Orioles will be well on their way to another AL East title and a lengthy postseason run.