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Inside The Orioles

Craig Albernaz's Reaction to Gunnar Henderson's Emotional Outburst Speaks Volumes

Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz addressed a showing of frustration star shortstop Gunnar Henderson had.
Grant Young|
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Baltimore OriolesMinnesota Twins

There are a lot of expectations that Baltimore Orioles star shortstop Gunnar Henderson will bounce back in a big way this season.

Henderson cemented himself as one of baseball's best offensive shortstops during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, both of which Baltimore made the playoffs. But his production decreased in 2025, as shown by his .274 average, .787 OPS, and 17 home runs. While these are still respectable numbers, they pale in comparison to what Henderson did in the previous two seasons and fall short of his potential.

But it surfaced that Henderson was playing injured for much of the season, which he was able to fix in the winter. Then he had a fantastic 2026 World Baseball Classic with Team USA, which convinced Orioles fans that Henderson was sure to return to his past form.

United States third baseman Gunnar Henderson
United States third baseman Gunnar Henderson | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

However, Henderson has not had the start to 2026 that he was looking for. While the Orioles have only played in two games headed into their March 29 contest against the Minnesota Twins, Henderson is still hitless in 10 at-bats, 6 of which have ended in strikeouts.

Craig Albernaz Addresses Gunnar Henderson's Frustration Display After Orioles Loss

Henderson's frustration about this slow start boiled over during Baltimore's game against Minnesota on March 28. He slammed his bat down while jogging to first base after a flyout, then cameras caught the 24-year-old throwing something at the dugout in anger before heading out to the field.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz spoke about seeing Henderson react in this way, and his comments show that is isn't frustrated at all about what he saw from his shortstop.

"I want that fire... He's an emotional player. I love the emotion. He's a competitor. The best thing about Gunnar is in the 8th and 9th inning, he's still [on the] top step, he's talking about baseball. He's not frustrated or down," Alvernaz said of Henderson, per an X post from Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.

"He just wants to come through to get the big hit, and I'm perfectly fine with that frustration," he added.

The good news for Henderson and Baltimore fans is that it's a very long season, and two tough games to start the season will be forgotten when Henderson catches fire.

And it wouldn't be surprising if this emotion causes Henderson to turn his fortunes at the plate around during Sunday's game.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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