Orioles Select José Barrero

The Orioles announced that infielder Jackson Holliday has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 15, due to left wrist inflammation. Infielder/outfielder José Barrero has been selected to take Holliday’s spot on the roster. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but is now full.

At this point, it doesn’t appear as though Holliday’s injury is severe. Manager Craig Albernaz said earlier, per Jake Rill of MLB.com, that Holliday is “banged up.” Given the calendar, he will miss most of the remainder of the season, though it’s possible he could be back for the final few games.

Holliday isn’t having the best season, with a .229/.300/.340 batting line, 81 wRC+ and subpar defense as well. Still, losing him isn’t ideal. Jeremiah Jackson has been at second base for the past couple of games to cover for Holliday. Jeremiah’s .229/.256/.371 line and 72 wRC+ makes his production worse than Holliday’s. It’s a minor drop-off but the Orioles are three games back of a playoff spot with just over a week left to go in the campaign, so every little detail matters.

Assuming Jeremiah steps in as the everyday second baseman, Barrero will replace him as the bench infielder. Barrero has 161 games of big league experience, scattered across the 2020 to 2025 seasons with the Reds and Cardinals. He has a .182/.238/.257  line in 478 plate appearances with a 6.1% walk rate and 36% strikeout rate. He has spent time at the three infield spots to the left of first base and has run out to the outfield a few times as well.

This year, he has been with the O’s on a minor league deal. In 499 Triple-A plate appearances, he has 23 home runs and a 10.6% walk rate but a high strikeout rate of 28.1%. His .202/.305/.400 batting line leads to an 85 wRC+ in this year’s souped-up International League environment, though that production has been held back by a .236 batting average on balls in play. The O’s will have him on the bench, available to jump in when needed. He is out of options and could be designated for assignment next week if Holliday can make a quick return.