Gunnar Henderson, a star for the Baltimore Orioles, told the media on Thursday morning that he is healing nicely from his modified oblique.
According to MLB.com’s Jake Rill on social media:
According to Gunnar Henderson, his left oblique is healing nicely. He believes that he should only sit out a couple Grapefruit League games for the #Orioles before making an impact.
The Orioles should be relieved that Henderson believes this is just a minor delay because obliques are often major problems that may truly linger. Given that Kyle Bradish and John Means will probably start the season on the injured list, Baltimore simply can’t afford any more injuries this spring. Felix Bautista, the closer, will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery.
Henderson, one of the best young players in baseball, was the American League Rookie of the Year winner the previous year. He contributed to the Orioles winning 101 games and winning the American League East by hitting.255 with 28 home runs and 82 RBI.
He is expected to play in the infield with baseball’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday, for many years to come, though it’s not a given that Holliday will make the team out of camp in 2024.
The Orioles will rely on Anthony Santander and Adley Rutschman in addition to Henderson to lead the offensive this year.
Additionally, they will be highly dependent on recently signed closer Craig Kimbrel, who is replacing Bautista at the back end of the bullpen, and ace Corbin Burnes, whom they acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers.
