The Baltimore Orioles are three games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East, and Jackson Holliday is not helping to close that gap.

Holliday, the team’s former top prospect and No. 1 overall pick in 2022, is making his second major league appearance this season, and it’s going almost as badly as the first.

The second baseman made the major league roster straight out of spring training at just 20 years old. In his first 36 at-bats, he batted just .059 and had an OPS of .170 before being sent to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides on April 24. In those 10 games, he struck out 18 times and managed just two singles.

The infielder’s stint in Norfolk was productive. The phenom alternated between second base, shortstop and designated hitter, posting a .271 batting average and .908 OPS. The burgeoning power finally began to show, as Holliday hit ten home runs and scored 75 runs.

Since being called back into the fold in late July, however, Holliday has fallen back into old patterns. He started hot, hitting four home runs in his first seven major league games, but still has just a .197 batting average and .608 OPS in the 41 games (38 starts) since returning to Camden Yards, and has only managed one more home run after the initial burst of power. Even more concerning for a player who received exceptional marks for his hitting as a junior are the strikeouts — 46 in 148 at-bats, all of which come from his bottom-of-the-table 35.5% whiff rate. His biggest challenge appears to be hitting breaking pitches at the major league level — his .085 batting average against breaking pitches is the lowest on the roster.

Holliday was left off the roster for the first time since his return on Sunday as the Orioles used Livan Soto for their series finale against Keider Montero and the Detroit Tigers, which Detroit won 4-2.

But if Baltimore wants to close the gap between itself and the New York Yankees in the AL East standings, Holliday will have to do more.

Due to injuries and transfers, Baltimore doesn’t have many other infield options for the keystone. Ramón Urias (ankle), Jordan Westburg (hand) and Jorge Mateo (elbow) are on the injured list. Connor Norby (Miami Marlins) and Joey Ortiz (Milwaukee Brewers) were taken off the roster due to transfers.

Holliday is the best remaining option on the roster for second base, and he will need to match the performance of the former top talent if the Orioles want any chance of catching the New York Yankees in the American League East.