Holliday providing contingency plan for O's at shortstop

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Opening Day for the Orioles is March 27, when they face the Blue Jays in Toronto, and manager Brandon Hyde wants to have a contingency plan in case shortstop Gunnar Henderson is put on the IL or is unable to play the field to start the season.

Henderson is dealing with a mild right intercostal strain, an injury he sustained this past Thursday while making a jumping catch. Hyde said Henderson is "feeling better," but the team must be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

During Baltimore¡¯s 6-3 victory over the Pirates on Monday night, second baseman Jackson Holliday received the start at short. He committed a throwing error in the second inning on a grounder hit by Andrew McCutchen without Pittsburgh taking advantage of the situation. It turned out to be Holliday¡¯s only chance of the game.

¡°I think I got a little sped up,¡± Holliday said. ¡°Obviously, playing shortstop for the first time in a while, you would like a lot of action just to get your feet under you, but it¡¯s fine. You are not going to be perfect over there, but I would have liked to make the play every time.¡±

Hyde acknowledged his brief concerns about having Holliday going back and forth between short and second base. Seeing the ball from different angles can be tough.

¡°We were feeling really good with Holliday at second base, but shortstop is his natural position, so it¡¯s kind of getting him familiar,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He is going to play the majority of the time at second base, but we need to get him to shortstop.¡±

Holliday was drafted as a shortstop in 2022 and played 127 regular-season games at the position in the Minor Leagues. But since he entered the Major Leagues in 2024, his primary focus has been at second base, where he is expected to play daily.

" ... I¡¯m unsure about the timetable, but [Henderson] is doing really well," Hyde said. "We are not sure when he will get back in game action. Jackson will be playing shortstop periodically."

Holliday isn¡¯t the only player on the team who has a chance to play short in case Henderson can¡¯t field his position. Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo, Livan Soto and Luis Vazquez are expected to see some time at short.

¡°We are keeping our options open there,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Even if Gunnar breaks camp, will he be able to play the first five [games of the regular season] with four on turf before the off-day? We are looking at everything right now.¡±

Bautista makes another outing

Orioles reliever F¨¦lix Bautista pitched in his third game of the spring on Monday and was roughed up, allowing two runs in the third inning on three hits. That allowed the Pirates to cut Baltimore's lead to 3-2 with Jack Suwinski and Bryan Reynolds recording RBIs.

In three games, Bautista has allowed three runs in three innings. The good news about Monday's outing was that Bautista¡¯s fastball went up from 96 mph to 98.5. Two years ago, he was a dominant closer for Baltimore, but that season came to an end in August because of Tommy John surgery. It will take some time before the Orioles see the dominant force that helped them reach that year's postseason.

¡°I thought he got better as the inning went along,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He is still kind of feeling his way through for me. That¡¯s his third outing in a year-plus. We are watching him closely. The velocity ticked up as the inning went along. It¡¯s Spring Training. I know he felt great coming off the mound. That¡¯s all that matters right now.

¡°Tomorrow is a big day. We¡¯ll see how he feels tomorrow. I¡¯m really happy with F¨¦lix, though, in how everything has progressed. The work he has put in has been unbelievable. He has an incredible attitude. He has a lot of confidence. I¡¯m going to keep throwing him out there.¡±