The Orioles will be without one of their best players for Opening Day this week as shortstop Gunnar Henderson will start the season on the injured list. Henderson is recovering from an intercostal strain and Orioles general manager Mike Elias told the media on Sunday that the 23-year-old star will miss the beginning of the season. He is hopeful that the recovery will only be a couple of days rather than a couple of weeks. “Definitely not good that we are breaking here without Gunnar, but I think the position player core in this offense can pick up the slack.” Elias said. “But, he will start the season out on the IL. Which will be a minimum of seven days missed. We’re going to try to get him out there as soon as possible.”The injury has put Henderson out for most of spring training and has already missed a good portion of time. Hopefully he is closer to returning and will only miss the first couple of games. The Orioles will have big shoes to fill in his absence as he has been Orioles best player the past couple of seasons and is considered one of the best players in baseball.The team will also be without speedy shortstop Jorge Mateo, who is recovering from surgery and will also miss the start of the season. They will turn to former top prospect Jackson Holliday to fill in and may also turn to journeymen Vimael Machín and Livan Soto. They are two journeymen veterans who have led the Orioles in hits during spring training.Machín has been one of the better stories of spring training, seemingly coming out of nowhere and leading the team with a .400 batting average this spring. The 31-year-old shortstop was last in the majors with the then Oakland Athletics, back in 2022, when he batted .220 in 73 games.Soto is a 24-year-old infielder who is mostly known for his defensive versatility. He was a former top-20 prospect for the Los Angeles Angeles and was picked up off of waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He is right behind Machín this spring with a .386 average. One of them could join Holliday, who is also having a good spring (.333 avg) in a platoon to replace Henderson while he recovers during the early part of the season. Henderson’s injury joins a long list a setbacks the team has had this spring, but hopefully this team can survive without him and he is able to return after only a short stint on the injury list.

BALTIMORE —

The Orioles will be without one of their best players for Opening Day this week as shortstop Gunnar Henderson will start the season on the injured list.

Henderson is recovering from an intercostal strain and Orioles general manager Mike Elias told the media on Sunday that the 23-year-old star will miss the beginning of the season. He is hopeful that the recovery will only be a couple of days rather than a couple of weeks.

“Definitely not good that we are breaking here without Gunnar, but I think the position player core in this offense can pick up the slack.” Elias said. “But, he will start the season out on the IL. Which will be a minimum of seven days missed. We’re going to try to get him out there as soon as possible.”

The injury has put Henderson out for most of spring training and has already missed a good portion of time. Hopefully he is closer to returning and will only miss the first couple of games. The Orioles will have big shoes to fill in his absence as he has been Orioles best player the past couple of seasons and is considered one of the best players in baseball.

The team will also be without speedy shortstop Jorge Mateo, who is recovering from surgery and will also miss the start of the season. They will turn to former top prospect Jackson Holliday to fill in and may also turn to journeymen Vimael Machín and Livan Soto. They are two journeymen veterans who have led the Orioles in hits during spring training.

Machín has been one of the better stories of spring training, seemingly coming out of nowhere and leading the team with a .400 batting average this spring. The 31-year-old shortstop was last in the majors with the then Oakland Athletics, back in 2022, when he batted .220 in 73 games.

Soto is a 24-year-old infielder who is mostly known for his defensive versatility. He was a former top-20 prospect for the Los Angeles Angeles and was picked up off of waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He is right behind Machín this spring with a .386 average.

One of them could join Holliday, who is also having a good spring (.333 avg) in a platoon to replace Henderson while he recovers during the early part of the season. Henderson’s injury joins a long list a setbacks the team has had this spring, but hopefully this team can survive without him and he is able to return after only a short stint on the injury list.

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