Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson has been identified with a light proper intercostal pressure. Supervisor Brandon Hyde relayed the knowledge to reporters, together with Jake Rill of MLB.com. Hyde says the membership remains to be “very, very hopeful” of Henderson being on the Opening Day roster, which is now simply over three weeks away.
Henderson was faraway from a Grapefruit League recreation in opposition to the Blue Jays final week, with the O’s saying that he had decrease proper aspect discomfort. After that contest, Hyde downplayed the priority, framing the removing as precautionary and saying that Henderson wouldn’t even require an MRI.
Per week later, it appears the difficulty has lingered sufficient that his readiness for Opening Day is a query mark. Though Hyde nonetheless thinks Henderson might be prepared by the opener, he additionally suggests they received’t be aggressive with him only for that one recreation.
“I’m very, very hopeful,” Hyde stated Wednesday, per Rill. “However we’re going to not push a pressure there, and we need to guarantee that he will get it taken care of. It’s a kind of delicate areas the place we don’t need something to reoccur.”
Whether or not Henderson is within the lineup on Opening Day or not, it’s a scenario value monitoring, given his significance to the staff. Henderson received American League Rookie of the Yr honors in 2023 and vaulted to a brand new stage final yr. He hit 37 dwelling runs, stole 21 bases, slashed .281/.364/.529 and acquired robust grades for his shortstop protection. FanGraphs credited him with 8.0 wins above substitute on the yr. That may have been ok for an MVP award in a few years, however Henderson completed fourth within the voting, due to outrageous seasons from Aaron Decide, Bobby Witt Jr. and Juan Soto.
The O’s will probably have to contemplate some contingency plans, even when they finally anticipate Henderson to get wholesome within the subsequent three weeks. Jorge Mateo performed a number of shortstop earlier than Henderson took over that spot, however he’s at the moment recovering from elbow surgical procedure and more likely to begin the season on the injured record. Jackson Holliday has shortstop expertise however the membership has largely moved him to second base.
Jordan Westburg has loads of shortstop expertise within the minors however simply ten huge league innings there. He has his personal well being scenario since he’s been coping with again soreness/spasms this spring. He hasn’t performed shortly however Hyde said to Rill it’s attainable he may play in Thursday’s recreation, relying on how he feels within the morning. If Westburg have been to cowl quick, it could create a gap a 3rd, which might be stuffed by Coby Mayo or Ramón Urías. The O’s even have a number of infielders in camp as non-roster invitees, comparable to Terrin Vavra, Liván Soto, Luis Vázquez, Emmanuel Rivera and Vimael Machín.
There are lots of shifting components and the scenario will certainly change within the coming weeks earlier than Opening Day. Ideally, Henderson will simply be again in motion and every little thing could be again in its correct place, however Baltimore followers will probably be conserving a eager eye on developments between at times.
Elsewhere on the roster, reliever Andrew Kittredge has some left knee soreness. Hyde tells reporters, together with Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner, that he’s undergone an MRI and can search a number of opinions. The O’s signed Kittredge to a one-year, $10M deal in January to bolster their bullpen. He posted a 2.48 earned run common over the 2021 to 2024 seasons. Tommy John surgical procedure worn out many of the center two seasons of that span however he tossed 70 2/3 innings final yr with a 2.80 ERA, 23.3% strikeout fee, 7% stroll fee and 45.2% ground-ball fee.
