Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson tosses a football around with teammates on Monday. The Baltimore Orioles held their first full-squad workout of the 2025 spring training season on Monday, Feb. 18th in Sarasota, Florida.

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MLB injuries: Orioles may begin season without Gunnar Henderson

The Orioles shortstop has never been on the injured list!

The Baltimore Orioles might have to begin their 2025 season without one of their brightest stars. Gunnar Henderson, the team’s shortstop, has been diagnosed with a mild right intercostal strain, an injury he sustained while making a leaping catch against the Toronto Blue Jays last Thursday in Grapefruit League action.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde provided an update on Wednesday, noting that the team is taking a cautious approach with Henderson’s recovery. “I’m very, very hopeful,” Hyde said about the possibility of Henderson being ready for Opening Day. “But we’re not going to push a strain there. We want to make sure that he gets it taken care of. It’s one of those sensitive areas where you don’t want anything to reoccur.”

The 23-year-old played out the remainder of the first inning after making the catch but was pulled before the start of the second. Initially diagnosed with lower right side discomfort, further evaluation confirmed the intercostal strain.

Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson’s status for opening day is up in the air after he was diagnosed with a mild intercostal strain, Brandon Hyde announced.

He’s improving but the club is slow playing him and they’re “very, very hopeful he’ll be ready” for the start of the season.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) March 5, 2025

With the Orioles set to open their season on March 27 in Toronto, Henderson’s status remains uncertain. He has never been on the injured list in his Major League career, but Baltimore is prioritizing a full recovery over rushing him back into action. Grapefruit League play concludes on March 23, and it’s unclear whether Henderson will see more game action before then.

Henderson has been instrumental to Baltimore’s success over the past two seasons, emerging as one of the league’s premier players. The 2023 American League Rookie of the Year delivered a phenomenal 2024 campaign, slashing .281/.364/.529 with 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs, and 92 RBIs. His performance earned him a fourth-place finish in AL MVP voting, a Silver Slugger Award, and his first All-Star selection. He also led the Orioles with 9.1 bWAR, making him one of the five most valuable players in all of baseball last season.

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As the Orioles gear up for another postseason push, all eyes will be on Henderson’s recovery. His presence at shortstop and in the lineup is crucial, and Baltimore will be hoping their young star is ready to take the field when the season begins in Toronto.

Gunnar Henderson

Orioles

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.