According to Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson should be back on the field soon as he recovers from “right side discomfort” that caused him to be removed from a game earlier this week.
The Orioles said it was a precautionary measure, but they’ve still handled it carefully since. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner had the information on social media:
The 23-year-old Alabama native was an All-Star last season, posting a robust 9.1 WAR.
He hit 37 home runs, leading the Orioles to a second-place finish in the American League East and a playoff berth.
In addition to his home runs, he hit .281 with 92 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
He was a Silver Slugger and finished fourth in the American League MVP voting, behind Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr. and Juan Soto.
He’s invaluable to the Orioles lineup so they can’t afford to have him miss time.
Heading into his fourth major league season, Henderson should be seen as an MVP candidate in the American League.
He’s a .268 lifetime hitter with 69 homers already.
He pairs with Adley Rutchman to make one of the best young duos in all of baseball and he’ll be counted on even more considering the O’s lost Anthony Santander to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency.
Baltimore will go through Grapefruit League play for the next three weeks before opening up the regular season on March 27 against those Blue Jays, who finished last in the AL East last season.
