SARASOTA, Fla. — Three of the biggest questions facing the Orioles have now been answered.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Sunday morning before the club’s Grapefruit League finale that Gunnar Henderson will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, while Cade Povich and Félix Bautista will be on the opening day roster.

Henderson will miss at least the first seven days of the regular season, during which the Orioles play six games against American League East teams. The 23-year-old hasn’t played a game since suffering a ribs muscle strain in late February.

But Elias hopes the Orioles won’t be without their superstar shortstop for long, characterizing the goal for Henderson’s recovery as “days instead of weeks.”

“We’re going to try to get him out there as soon as possible,” Elias said. “Obviously, I’m very hopeful that the IL stint will be measured in days instead of weeks, but I don’t have a crystal ball. But he’s doing well and it’s a matter of getting him prepared for the season, getting him at-bats, measuring his recovery.”

Henderson, who finished fourth in AL Most Valuable Player voting last season, will remain in Sarasota to get live at-bats this week. He’ll be alongside infielder Jorge Mateo, who is making his way back from left elbow surgery. Mateo, however, has yet to be ruled out for opening day Thursday against the Blue Jays, Elias said. Mateo is an option to play shortstop in Henderson’s stead. If Mateo also begins the season on the IL, Jackson Holliday would likely move over from second base to be Baltimore’s opening day shortstop. Whether Mateo makes the opening day roster will be something the club will decide closer to opening day, Elias said.

“It’s definitely not good when we’re breaking here without Gunnar,” Elias said, “but I think the position player core on this offense can pick up the slack, and hopefully it’s a very short IL stint.”

While Henderson won’t be traveling to Toronto with the team, Povich and Bautista will be. Povich, who entered camp seen as the seventh-best pitcher in camp, will be the Orioles’ No. 5 starter and take the ball for Baltimore’s home opener March 31 against the Boston Red Sox.

Povich leapfrogged veteran Albert Suárez to win the job, which was open after Grayson Rodriguez suffered an elbow injury earlier this month. Suárez will begin the season in the Orioles’ bullpen.

“There were some arguments to be made in either direction,” Elias said. “We just thought Cade, he just looks so good right now. I think he gives us what we feel is the best chance to win the fifth game of the season, and he’s in a good spot. He’s not somebody that we would entertain putting him in a major league bullpen right now, so didn’t want option him. We want him on the team. We think he’s hopefully one of our better pitchers.”

Povich struggled to begin his rookie campaign last year, but he posted a 2.60 ERA in five September starts. He carried that over this spring and was perhaps the Orioles’ most effective starting pitcher. He might have forced his way onto the roster by pitching five no-hit innings against the Blue Jays’ regulars on Tuesday.

“He’s shown here in this camp and last fall down the stretch he really knows how to pitch, and that’s nice,” Elias said. “I think he’s in a good spot and upward arc in his career, and I think he presents some upside for us. So we wanted to start him out in the rotation and see where he takes us.”

A few hours after Elias spoke, manager Brandon Hyde confirmed Bautista would break camp with the big league team. Bautista hasn’t pitched in an official game since August 2023 when he injured his elbow, later undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and missing the entire 2024 season.

Elias isn’t concerned about Bautista’s diminished velocity this spring, chalking it up to the lack of adrenaline in spring training and the 6-foot-8 right-hander building back from surgery. Bautista’s fastball has been in the 95-98 mph range rather than the blistering 99 mph average he pitched to in 2023.

“I think it’s going to build up in the regular season. It’s not too far off,” Elias said. “I think when you’re throwing 100 [mph], you kind of got to reach back for it. I don’t think he’s doing that necessarily. The important thing is he feels really good, he’s throwing strikes.”

Other than outfielder Dylan Carlson being optioned Sunday, Elias said the rest of the club’s roster remains in flux, especially the last spot on the bench and bullpen. Mateo, Livan Soto, Luis Vázquez and Vimael Machín are competing for the former, while Bryan Baker, Matt Bowman and Roansy Contreras are options for the latter.

The Orioles capped off their Grapefruit League schedule Sunday, and all that remains ahead of opening day is an exhibition Monday against the Nationals in Washington. Then the first week of the season will be defined by how well the Orioles can play without Henderson.

“Gunnar’s one of the best players in the league, so it’s hard to replace,” Hyde said. “Hopefully we can pick up the pieces around him a little bit and play well while he’s gone.”

Around the horn

After Sunday’s game, a 5-5 tie against the Atlanta Braves, the Orioles added Matt Bowman to their 40-man roster. Tyler Wells was placed on the 60-day injured list to create space. Baltimore had to add Bowman to its 40-man roster to avoid him opting out of his contract. He could make the opening day roster, but the club still has days before that’s made official.

Hyde said the Orioles will announce later this week which days Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano are starting. Zach Eflin and Charlie Morton will start the first two games of the season, while Povich will pitch the fifth. It’s likely Kremer will start the third game Saturday and Sugano will take the fourth, but that’s yet to be finalized.

Catching prospect Samuel Basallo has elbow inflammation, Elias said. He will serve as Triple-A Norfolk’s designated hitter for the first few weeks of the season.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has begun throwing bullpen sessions after recovering from a partially dislocated right knee, Elias said. He and Chayce McDermott (lat/teres muscle strain) still need a few weeks to be ready for game action.

Kyle Gibson will stay in Sarasota to ramp up after the Orioles signed him for $5.25 million. Elias said that process is expected to take weeks.

Elias said he understood the comments made by prospect Coby Mayo after he was optioned last week. Mayo expressed disappointment about beginning the season in Triple-A, a level he believes he’s “proved everything” he’s needed to. “I don’t mind what he said,” Elias said. The GM spoke positively about Mayo’s future in the organization, but he didn’t want Mayo opening the season on the bench.

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