Gunnar Henderson

Team USA already has both Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson rostered, so the assumption is that Handerson would play third base. Obviously, the team now has another strong option there if Henderson proves shaky. Or perhaps Mark DeRosa will just bypass Henderson altogether and go with the safe choice at the hot corner.

Gunnar Henderson’s third full Major League season was another success, as the infielder hit .274/.349/.438 with 17 home runs over 651 plate appearances. It was more or less a match for the 2023 season that earned Henderson AL Rookie of the Year honors — Henderson posted a 122 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR that year, and…

Gunnar Henderson’s third full Major League season was another success, as the infielder hit .274/.349/.438 with 17 home runs over 651 plate appearances. It was more or less a match for the 2023 season that earned Henderson AL Rookie of the Year honors — Henderson posted a 122 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR that year, and…

Henderson elaborated, "I could never get to the spot that I wanted to get to with my swing... I just wasn't able to hold the plane and my body was adjusting to it, not feeling great, so that didn't really set up me in the right spot to leverage the ball like I normally do... Looking forward to being healthy this year and getting back to my normal self." It's strange that nothing about the shoulder issue came out at all from the Orioles during the 2025 campaign, but it could help to explain the 24-year-old superstar's significant falloff at the plate, especially in the power department -- falling from 37 long balls to just 17. Assuming full health, look for Henderson to bounce back in a big way in 2026.

Henderson revealed Thursday on WBAL Radio's "Orioles Hot Stove Show" that he played through a shoulder impingement "pretty much for three-quarters of the year" in 2025, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.