Henderson's right intercostal strain puts Opening Day in question

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Gunnar Henderson's availability for Opening Day may be in question.

The Orioles’ star shortstop has been diagnosed with a mild right intercostal strain, an injury he sustained last Thursday while making a jumping catch in Grapefruit League action vs. the Blue Jays. Manager Brandon Hyde said on Wednesday that the club is continuing to “slow-play” Henderson’s recovery and focused on not rushing the 23-year-old back into action.

“I’m very, very hopeful,” Hyde said on the likelihood of Henderson being ready for Opening Day. “But we’re going to not push a strain there, and 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.”

When Henderson made the play on which he got hurt, it didn’t seem like anything negative had occurred. He robbed Bo Bichette of a hit, then went on to play the rest of the first inning. That included the bottom of the frame, which he led off with a groundout.

But Henderson was removed at the start of the second, with news coming later that he was experiencing lower right side discomfort.

“It was just like the whole act of what he did,” Hyde said. “Not sure if it’s how he caught it -- it’s more probably how he landed and just kind of crunched his side a little bit.”

No player has been as valuable as Henderson to Baltimore’s lineup over the past two seasons. The 2023 American League Rookie of the Year had a remarkable ‘24 season, during which he slashed .281/.364/.529 with 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs and 92 RBIs and finished fourth in AL MVP Award voting.

Henderson led the O’s with 9.1 bWAR last season, also becoming a first-time All-Star. He won a Silver Slugger Award during his breakout rookie campaign.

It is not yet known whether Henderson -- who has never gone on the injured list during his big league career -- will play again during Grapefruit League action, which wraps up March 23. The Orioles open the 2025 season on March 27 in Toronto.

“It’s kind of a day-to-day thing. He is improving,” Hyde said. “I saw him before I left, he feels good. He’s feeling better. It’s just how much better on a daily basis. But we’re not going to push him out there unless we know that this thing is cleared up.”

If Henderson goes on the IL to start the season, then the top candidates for that roster spot would be infielders Livan Soto, Coby Mayo (MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 overall prospect) and Emmanuel Rivera.

Update on Kittredge
Right-hander Andrew Kittredge underwent an MRI on his sore left knee and the Orioles are seeking “multiple opinions” before determining the next step. The 34-year-old first felt soreness when he was warming up in the bullpen on Saturday, which prevented him from entering the Grapefruit game vs. the Pirates.

Kittredge made only one appearance for Baltimore this spring, tossing a scoreless inning against Pittsburgh on Feb. 26. He is expected to be a key member of the O’s bullpen in 2025, after signing a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million that includes a team option for ‘26.

If Kittredge is unavailable for Opening Day, then right-hander Bryan Baker could earn a spot in the Orioles’ bullpen. The 30-year-old is out of Minor League options and has retired all nine batters he’s faced in Grapefruit play after working another 1-2-3 inning in Wednesday afternoon’s 5-2 win over the Twins at Hammond Stadium.

No velo concerns for G-Rod
Grayson Rodriguez's velocity was down on Wednesday, when he allowed one run on three hits with one walk, one strikeout and a hit-by-pitch, while throwing 33 pitches (20 strikes) in a 1 1/3-inning start against Minnesota.

Not only was Rodriguez’s velo slower across the board, but he threw an 89.5 mph four-seam fastball in the second inning that resulted in a leadoff double for Christian Vázquez. It was slower than every four-seamer Rodriguez threw over his first two MLB seasons.

It was also a bit by design for the 25-year-old right-hander, who said after his first Grapefruit start last Thursday that he wasn’t coming out trying to light up the radar gun this spring, as he focuses more on durability to help prevent injuries in 2025. At least not quite yet.

“The intent was still down. Still not going out there trying to throw 95-100 percent,” Rodriguez said. “Really just trying to make sure that I’m in a [good] spot in my pitch build-up, my program. Obviously, coming up, we’re going to start letting it eat.

“But right now, just trying to make sure that I’m in control, making sure we’re working on getting the [scapula muscle] loaded and stuff. Just trying to sync everything up together.”