SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles will be without their star shortstop to open the 2025 season.
Gunnar Henderson is heading for the injured list, general manager Mike Elias announced Sunday, after the 23-year-old’s mild right intercostal strain kept him out of Grapefruit League action for the final three-plus weeks of Spring Training. It will be the first IL stint of his four-year MLB career.
"We're going to try and get him out there as soon as possible," Elias said. "Obviously, I'm very hopeful that the IL stint will be measured in days instead of weeks, but I don't have a crystal ball. But he's doing well, and it's a matter of getting him prepared for the season, getting him at-bats, measuring his recovery."
Henderson’s IL stint will begin on Monday. That means he could be activated as soon as April 3, when the O’s close out their first home series of the season against the Red Sox.
Over the past week, Henderson has been taking batting practice and fielding ground balls. He also took live BP for the first time on Saturday. However, Henderson needed to return to games to have an opportunity to be ready for Opening Day on Thursday in Toronto, and he ran out of time to make that happen.
Henderson played in only three Grapefruit games this spring, going 1-for-6. He didn't appear in a game after Feb. 27, when he sustained the injury on a jumping catch during the first inning of a matchup vs. the Blue Jays.
There had been continued optimism that Henderson would have time to prepare for the opener.
“I’m on the right track, progressing,” Henderson said on March 15. “It’s getting there. It’s a lot better than what it originally felt like.”
The hope for the O’s is that a short IL stint now will prevent the injury from turning into a lingering issue that could potentially cost Henderson more time missed during the season.
Henderson, the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year, is coming off a standout ‘24 campaign in which he hit .281 with 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs, 92 RBIs and an .893 OPS, while also being named an All-Star for the first time.
“It’s unfortunate that he’s going to miss the start of the season, but it is a long season,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We do feel like we have other options. We have a lot of talented infielders. We’re still kind of finalizing the last position there, but Gunnar’s one of the best players in the league, so it’s hard to replace. Hopefully, we can pick up the pieces around him a little bit and play well while he’s gone.”
How the Orioles opt to fill in for Henderson is dependent on the Opening Day status of utility man Jorge Mateo, who is recovering from the left UCL reconstruction surgery he underwent last August. The 29-year-old played in five Grapefruit games this spring and has not yet been ruled out for the start of the season.
If Mateo is deemed ready, he could play shortstop in Henderson’s absence. It’s also possible that Jackson Holliday -- who is expected to be the starting second baseman the majority of the time -- could shift over to short, where he got plenty of reps this spring.
There’s a chance Mateo will join Henderson on the IL. If that’s the case, Livan Soto, Luis Vazquez and Vimael Machín are all candidates to take Henderson’s spot on the 26-man roster. Soto, a 24-year-old who can play anywhere in the infield, would be the likely front-runner in that scenario after his strong spring.
Baltimore has the potential to be fine in the short term. But it would be a huge hit if Henderson’s injury turns into a long-term issue, hence the IL decision that allows him to stay in Sarasota and continue his hitting progression by facing more live pitching.
"It's definitely not good when we're breaking here without Gunnar," Elias said. "But I think the position-player core and this offense can pick up the slack. Hopefully, it's a very short IL stint."