KANSAS CITY -- Gunnar Henderson watched the first seven Orioles games this season like most fans -- on television.
Henderson¡¯s first injured list stint of his four-year career -- due to a right intercostal strain sustained on Feb. 27 -- came to an end when he was activated from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. And the 2024 All-Star Game starter was as glad as anyone to get back on the field.
¡°Yeah, it sucks having to watch your team play on TV, I¡¯ll tell you that much,¡± Henderson said prior to the Orioles¡¯ 8-2 loss in the opener against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. ¡°Obviously, I was very disappointed I wasn¡¯t well enough for the Opening Day roster, but I was able to get my work in and I feel ready to go now.
¡°It was definitely different because that was the first time I had to do that. Definitely not as fun watching it, I would much rather be playing in it.¡±
Henderson made his presence back on the field known instantly. On the second pitch he saw, he drilled a 106.8 mph exit velocity line drive right up the middle, which was caught by a perfectly placed Bobby Witt Jr. It was one of three balls Henderson, who finished 1-for-4, hit that had an exit velocity of at least 104 mph. He smacked a 105.3 mph grounder in the second inning before beating out an infield single in the eighth inning for his first hit -- this one swatted at 104.8 mph.
¡°First at-bat he hits a bullet up the middle, right at Witt. [Then] showed his athleticism on the infield single there [in the eighth],¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°It¡¯s the first game, so he¡¯s just getting into a groove now.¡±
Henderson added: ¡°The at-bats felt good. I felt like I was in my legs. Glad to see -- and felt like I was in a good spot.¡±
He was also put to the test physically on Friday, toughing out temperatures in the 40s with constant wind and rain. Those conditions led to sloppy play by Baltimore¡¯s defense, which included an error from Henderson at short on a ground ball from Salvador Perez in the fifth, which led to an unearned run.
¡°First cold game of the year, so that¡¯s always fun,¡± Henderson said. ¡°But I¡¯ve been putting in work. I got a little too aggressive when I probably shouldn't have, but I made a couple other plays.¡±
Henderson, who finished fourth in AL MVP voting in 2024, didn¡¯t play in a game from Feb. 27 to March 28, when he began his rehab stint at Triple-A. He made five starts for the Tides -- four at shortstop and one at designated hitter -- and went 5-for-19 (.263) with two home runs and four RBIs. He did make three errors during his 28 2/3 innings at shortstop in Triple-A, though.
Henderson¡¯s error on Friday, along with Heston Kjerstad¡¯s misplay on a high fly ball to left in the first inning, both resulted in runs for the Royals.
¡°I¡¯m sure the conditions [played a part] a little bit, but they are playing in the same conditions,¡± Hyde said. ¡°We have to get better defensively. We were pretty good the last few years, and that¡¯s something we have to get back to. We can¡¯t allow extra [bases] -- we have to make the routine play and throw to the right base and things like that.¡±
With Baltimore¡¯s star shortstop back in the fold, the club expects to not only find consistency in the field, but at the plate. The 23-year-old, who hit .281 with 37 homers, 31 doubles, seven triples and 92 RBIs in a team-high 159 games last season, can be a major boost to a lineup that has had an unreliable output to begin the season.
In Baltimore¡¯s five losses, the club has scored just nine total runs. In the three wins? 29 runs.
¡°We had our ups and downs the first two series, and it¡¯s nice to have Gunnar back,¡± Hyde said pregame.
¡°We should be a deep lineup. We should be tough outs all the way down the order. ¡ I feel like we haven¡¯t clicked offensively yet, we¡¯ve had some really nice games offensively, but this team could be a really good offense.¡±
That¡¯s possible with Henderson back atop the lineup. And he¡¯s just as excited as anyone to be back with a Baltimore club with high expectations.
¡°That¡¯s always what I want to do -- is be on the field and play with these guys,¡± Henderson said. ¡°That¡¯s why I was doing everything I could to get back on the field, and I¡¯m happy to be back.¡±