The Windup: Jackson Holliday is heading to MLB; Tyler Glasnow trade paying off for Dodgers, Rays (2024)

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The Orioles are calling up Jackson Holliday, the sport’s No. 1 prospect, Tyler Glasnow is living up to expectations, Trevor Story’s season is over after a shoulder injury and the Red Sox had an emotional home opener. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!

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Jackson Holliday is on his way

It was a little bit of a surprise when Jackson Holliday didn’t make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. The consensusNo. 1 prospect in the gamehit .311/.354/.600 (.954 OPS) with two home runs in 15 spring training games. He also struck out 15 times against just three walks in 48 plate appearances — maybe that was the difference-maker.

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But in 10 Triple-A games since the start of the minor-league season last week, Holliday (who is still just 20 years old) has hit .333/.482/.595 (1.077). In 55 plate appearances, he has eight strikeouts and 12 walks.

Alrighty,sounds like it’s time. The team officially announced the call-up Wednesday morning.

Holliday is a natural shortstop, but it seems unlikely that Baltimore will supplant reigning rookie of the year and Silver Slugger Gunnar Henderson. Instead, it seems logical that Holliday (who bats left-handed) will play second base most of the time, with Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías (both right-handed hitters) splitting time at third base, with the occasional day off for Holliday against lefties.

If you think this is the end of the pipeline of talent in Baltimore, you haven’t been paying close attention to the Norfolk Tides lineup. Check out these OPS numbers after last night’s 5-2 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (these numbers are fromaftera game in which Norfolk combined for just five hits).

For Holliday, who was in high school this time two years ago but is no stranger to big-league clubhouses, it’s the moment heappears to have been born for.

Please enjoy thisabsolutely adorable videoof 3-year-old Jackson practicing with his dad, Matt Holliday, at Coors Field.

Ken’s Notebook: Glasnow trade looking underrated

Tyler Glasnow’s former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, saw this coming. His present club, the Los Angeles Dodgers, did, too.

Glasnow, 30, is nearly three years removed from reconstructive elbow surgery. He missed the first two months of last season because of a strained left oblique, then showed flashes of brilliance when healthy. The Rays’ internal projections for him, according to a team official briefed on the club’s information, were “through the roof.” The Dodgers, working off similar data, viewed him much the same way.

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With the season not even 1/10 complete, the Dodgers’ trade for Glasnow already is looking like the most underrated move of their $1.4 billion offseason. Glasnow, who signed a five-year, $136.5 million extension as part of the deal, produced one of the best performances of his career Tuesday night, striking out 14 and walking none over seven scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

The Rays’ end of the deal isn’t looking so bad, either — right-hander Ryan Pepiot, one of two players they acquired for Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot, pitched six scoreless innings Sunday at Coors Field. Pepiot, making just above the $740,000 minimum, is a lot less expensive than Glasnow, whose 2024 earnings will be $25 million. But if Glasnow continues pitching like a Cy Young contender, he will be a bargain.

Through four starts, Glasnow has a 2.25 ERA, 29 strikeouts and seven walks in 24 innings. The trick for the Dodgers will be managing his workload so he can pitch deep into October. Glasnow’s career-high for innings is the 120 he threw last season.

Glasnow, though, is not the only starter the Dodgers need to handle with care. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is transitioning to the majors. Bobby Miller is in his first full season. James Paxton has a long history of injuries. Walker Buehler is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Clayton Kershaw from a shoulder operation.

A merry-go-round of sorts is likely, with the Dodgers continuing to use lesser starters such as Gavin Stone to fill in some gaps, and run occasional bullpen games to address others. Glasnow, Yamamoto and even Paxton appealed to the Dodgers because of their sheer talent. If those pitchers are unable to sustain 30-start, 200-inning workloads, so be it. As long as they’re good to go in October.

Here’sThe Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya withmore on Glasnow’s big night.

After Trevor Story injury, Red Sox platoon shortstops

Last year, as the Red Sox cycled through shortstops, there was some optimism that the carousel was temporary. As soon as Trevor Story returned from his internal brace surgery, the position should be locked down for the foreseeable future.

Now the waiting has begun again.

Story, who was limited to 43 games in 2023 as he rehabbed his surgically repaired elbow, played in just eight games this year before his season ended. He dove to his right for a ball in Friday’s 8-6 win over the Angels and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder. The injury was initially called a dislocation; itwas revealed yesterdaythat Story has suffered a “fracture of the glenoid rim, the socket in which the arm rotates,” and will need surgery.

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The normal recovery time for that procedure is roughly six months, which will put an end to his 2024 campaign.

With Story out, Boston (7-4) will now turn to some of the same internal options from last year. Jen McCaffrey reports:

“In his absence, the Red Sox will platoon David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez at shortstop and Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez at second base. There are still discussions about using center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who came up in the system as a shortstop, at both second and short, but Breslow made clear his preference to play Rafaela mostly in center. Vaughn Grissom, who’s rehabbing from a groin strain, will see most of his time at second base, but does have some experience at shortstop.”

Additionally, starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, who is 1-1 with an 0.82 ERA, has also landed on the IL — he has a right elbow flexor strain, though there is optimism that he’ll be back as soon as his stay on the 15-day IL is over.

Speaking of absences in Boston …

Emotional home opener in Boston

Believe it or not, the Boston Red Sox hadn’t played a home game this season until yesterday, after starting the season with a 10-game road trip. So we got a little extended Opening Day sentiment, and man, did baseball save the most emotional one for last.

It was the first Boston home opener since the passing of formerpresident and CEO Larry Lucchino, and of pitcher Tim Wakefield and his wife Stacy, who both had cancer. As the pre-game ceremony honored the 2004 team on the 20th anniversary of their miraculous postseason, Wakefield’s absence was acutely felt.It became downright goosebump-inducing when the Wakefields’ daughter Briannathrew a knuckleballfor the ceremonial first pitch.

49 Forever. pic.twitter.com/78RSrp9Tcc
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 9, 2024

Unfortunately, one other absence hung heavy over the afternoon.

As Chad Jennings, Jen McCaffrey and Stephen Nesbittteamed up to report, the absence of Curt Schilling was also felt. Schilling, it seems, was persona non grata after revealing the Wakefields’ diagnoses against their wishes.

“The unspoken name was Curt Schilling, one of the most talented players on that ’04 team and the centerpiece of one of its most iconic playoff moments, whose public outing of Wakefield’s illness — just days before Wakefield died — severed that enduring connection. Schilling chose not to attend on Tuesday. Pitcher Derek Lowe said Schilling’s absence was ‘the consensus’ among the players.”

Handshakes and High Fives

Gerrit Colehas been keeping busy while on the IL, serving as an “extra pitching coach.” While Cole has been out,Carlos Ródonhasupheld his shareof the load.

A year ago,Marcell Ozunarevived his career.It’s still alive, says David O’Brien.

Julio Uríashas beencharged with five misdemeanors in connection with his September arrest.

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The Rates & Barrels crewdug in a little deeperonpitching injuries, while Andy McCullough looked into why it’sgoing to take a whileto find a solution.

Sonny Gray’s home debut in St. Louis went swimmingly, as he pitchedfive shutout innings.

AsFramber Valdezhits the IL, the Astros arecalling upSpencer Arrighetti, their top pitching prospect, presumably to take Valdez’s spot in the rotation.

Four days after signingJulio Teheranto bolster their thinning rotation depth, the Mets designated him for assignment.Jose Buttóis likely next in line, but Tim Britton asks: When will it betime to call upone of their pitching prospects?

In college baseball: Top MLB Draft prospectNick Kurtzof Wake Foresthit six home runsin seven at-bats last weekend, and now has 13 home runs in 26 games.

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(Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel / USA Today)