FORT MYERS, Fla. — Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson’s status for opening day is uncertain after he was diagnosed with a “very mild” intercostal strain in his ribs, manager Brandon Hyde announced after Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game.

“He’s feeling a lot better, but we’re just going to obviously slow-play it a little bit and make sure that he is 100%,” Hyde said. “But he’s getting a lot better every single day.”

Henderson, 23, suffered the injury last Thursday when he landed awkwardly after making a leaping catch to rob the Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette of a hit in the first inning. The Orioles originally classified the injury as lower right side discomfort and gave him the weekend off to rest before determining the next steps.

“I’m very, very hopeful but we’re going to not push a strain there and we want to make sure that it’s taken care of,” Hyde said of Henderson’s status for opening day. “It’s one of those sensitive areas where we don’t want anything to reoccur.”

Baltimore’s All-Star slugger enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, setting career highs with 37 home runs, 92 RBIs and an .893 OPS. He placed fourth in American League Most Valuable Player Award voting and represented the club at the MLB Home Run Derby. Henderson also dealt with a minor oblique injury in camp last spring but returned in plenty of time for opening day and went on to play 159 games.

Should Henderson begin the season on the injured list, the Orioles have just one infielder on the 40-man roster not currently projected to make the opening day roster: top prospect Coby Mayo. Nonroster invitees Emmanuel Rivera, Livan Soto, Vimael Machín, Terrin Vavra and Luis Vázquez would be candidates as well. Utility man Jorge Mateo isn’t expected to be ready for opening day as he works his way back from August elbow surgery but could return soon after.

Presumptive third baseman Jordan Westburg and second baseman Jackson Holliday are also both natural shortstops and could move positions to fit the Orioles’ preferred choice onto the roster.

However, there would be no replacing Henderson’s bat at the top of the lineup. The shortstop spent the majority of the season hitting out of the leadoff spot and amassed 8.0 wins above replacement by FanGraphs’ calculation, the seventh-highest total in franchise history and the best since Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. put up 10.6 in 1991. His absence would put a greater onus on fellow All-Stars Westburg and Adley Rutschman to improve upon their 2024 campaigns.

The Orioles open the regular season on March 27 in Toronto, leaving Henderson with just over three weeks to recover from the strain. Westburg has been dealing with back spasms over the past two weeks stemming from a “soft mattress” he had been sleeping on, but Hyde said he would check with him Thursday morning to determine if he would be ready to return to the lineup.

In addition, Hyde announced that right-hander Andrew Kittredge had an MRI done on his left knee and the club will seek additional opinions before determining the next steps. Kittredge said Wednesday morning that he hasn’t worked out since suffering the injury warming up in the bullpen Saturday.

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