FORT MYERS, Fla. — Two years ago, Zach Fruit was coming off a season in which he posted a 7.71 ERA at Eastern Michigan. On Monday, he held his own against the Boston Red Sox.

The Orioles took their “B” team to Fenway South to face a Red Sox lineup that closely resembled the one they’ll feature on opening day. Fruit, who’s never pitched above High-A, was one of the prospects given the difficult task of facing Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman and Triston Casas.

Fruit didn’t blink, but he made those watching do a double-take.

The 24-year-old right-hander flashed his electric stuff while striking out four batters in three innings and allowing only one earned run.

“It’s been really fun,” he said of pitching in big league spring training games. “I think the biggest thing for me is just going out there and showing them I can compete with these big league hitters and just get guys out at this level. Overall, just for the confidence, it’s been really good for me. Just going back out there and making sure I can show the Orioles what I can do.”

Monday was Fruit’s second spring appearance after he threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts last week against the New York Yankees. That’s when he first impressed manager Brandon Hyde with his high-90s mph fastball and command. Fellow pitching prospect Blake Money, who tossed three scoreless innings after Fruit on Monday, did the same.

“It’s fun to see a young guy have command of multiple pitches,” Hyde said. “That’s lost in our game right now big time. We had two guys out there that commanded the baseball, kept the game moving with being able to throw offspeed in hitters counts, being able to locate the fastball and both those guys did that.

Fruit, who posted a 3.03 ERA in 107 innings for High-A Aberdeen last year, sports an interesting, fastball-heavy pitch mix: a high-90s mph four-seamer, a mid-90s sinker and a 90 mph cutter.

Against the Yankees, more than 80% of the pitches he threw were clocked at 90 mph or faster.

After the Orioles selected Fruit in the ninth round of the 2023 draft, he said they started tinkering with his pitch mix.

His slider has improved, his changeup is new and the cutter is an addition this spring.

“Adding these pitches is the reason for a lot of the success that’s come along,” Fruit said.

If I could turn back time

Hyde remains “hopeful” that Gunnar Henderson will be ready for opening day. Each day that goes by without Henderson playing in exhibition games makes that hope seem more dim.

With only five Grapefruit League games remaining, time could be running out for Henderson to receive enough plate appearances to be ready for the beginning of the regular season. Hyde said the star shortstop appearing in exhibition games is essentially a prerequisite for him breaking camp with the Orioles instead of being on the 10-day injured list.

“It’s going to be really tough,” Hyde said. “You gotta get some at-bats. Hopefully we can get him in games sometime soon. He needs to get at-bats and feel good before we make that decision.”

Henderson is “progressing well,” Hyde said, after resuming baseball activities last week. Henderson suffered a ribs muscle strain in late February that he said was “lingering” longer than expected.

Hyde said Henderson took batting practice on the field Monday and continues to do defensive work at shortstop.

Given it’s a muscle injury in his midsection/side area, the Orioles want to make sure they don’t rush him back and then have it reappear during the season.

“It’s definitely something we don’t want to linger into the season and throughout the season,” Hyde said Saturday. “You want to make sure that’s free and clear. He’s so important to us. We want to make sure he’s right and he’s not playing through any sort of injury or soreness the first part of the season.”

Henderson said Saturday he’s going to do “whatever I can to make it to opening day,” but the longer he goes within getting game at-bats, the harder it is to project him being with the club in Toronto next week.

Beanball from Beantown

At this stage of spring training, Hyde hopes to just make it out of every game with his team healthy. He was fortunate to get his wish on Monday.

In a span of six Orioles batters, three were hit by pitches, including Coby Mayo. The corner infield prospect exited the game in the sixth inning after he was struck in the right wrist by a 96 mph fastball. Mayo was briefly checked out by Hyde and athletic trainer Mark Shires before heading to the clubhouse.

Hyde said after the game that Mayo was removed from the game as a “precaution” and that he’s expected to be “OK.” The same goes for nonroster invitee infielder Luis Vazquez, who was hit on the right elbow, and outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr., who was plunked on the leg.

“At this point, it’s soft-tissue stuff,” Hyde said. “I’m sure they’re going to be sore tonight, but we’ll reevaluate tomorrow. But they should be fine, all of those guys.”

Still, it’s never fun to see a player hit by a pitch in a spring training game, especially in the hands, Hyde said.

“Hands you feel like are a tough spot, but fortunately Coby felt fine later on,” the seventh-year skipper added.

Never tell me the odds

Betting websites allow fans to wager on spring training baseball, and Monday’s outcome is perhaps proof of why they shouldn’t.

The Red Sox played their “A” team, throwing No. 2 starter Tanner Houck alongside a stacked lineup. The Orioles, meanwhile, traveled only one player who entered spring training projected to make the opening day roster (catcher Gary Sánchez).

Yet, in the way only spring training baseball can, the Orioles pulled off the upset in blowout fashion, pounding the Red Sox, 12-3.

Baltimore tallied 16 hits and walked six times against Houck and his relievers. Outfield prospect Dylan Beavers (2-for-4) hit a two-run single off Houck in the second to put Baltimore on the board. In the sixth, the first eight Orioles batters reached base safely en route to an eight-run frame. Vimael Machín (2-for-4), Livan Soto, Daz Cameron (3-for-5) and Vazquez (3-for-3) all recorded RBI hits to put the Orioles up 10-3. Cole Urman then walked in a run and Bradfield smacked an RBI single.

“I’m really happy with how we played,” Hyde said. “I was really impressed with our young guys. … That was fun to watch. We had a few prospects in there do some good things, and some of these utility guys that have had great spring training for us continue to swing the bat well.”

Around the horn

Hyde said pitcher Grayson Rodriguez will play catch Tuesday for the first time since he last pitched in a game on March 5. Rodriguez received a cortisone shot earlier this month to help reduce his elbow inflammation. The right-hander’s session Tuesday will be the start of a throwing progression that will take at least several weeks.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced José Berríos will start opening day on March 27 against Zach Eflin and the Orioles. Berríos vs. Eflin is a repeat of last year’s opening contest between the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays, Eflin’s former team before joining Baltimore at the trade deadline.

Outfield prospect Vance Honeycutt, who hit an inside-the-park home run in the Orioles’ Spring Breakout game Saturday, was named to MLB Pipeline’s All-Spring Breakout second-team on Monday.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.