Orioles’ superstar played through shoulder injury in 2025

Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson revealed in a radio interview that he played much of 2025 with a shoulder impingement.

Sep 9, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) stands in the on deck circle during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Gunnar Henderson’s offensive numbers dipped across the board during the Baltimore Orioles’ disappointing 2025 season. Now there is context behind the decline.

While appearing Thursday as a call-in guest on WBAL Radio’s “Orioles Hot Stove Show,” Henderson revealed that he dealt with a shoulder impingement for “pretty much” three quarters of last year. The star shortstop still managed to play 154 games, though he does believe the previously unreported injury affected his ability to leverage the ball like normal.

“I could never get to the spot that I wanted to get to with my swing, but no excuse. Just had to play through it and felt like I still with all those circumstances put up a decent year,” Henderson said. “Looking forward to being healthy this year and getting back to my normal self.”

Henderson, 24, hit .274/.349/.438 (.787 OPS) over 651 plate appearances last season. Among the biggest drop-offs from his 2024 All-Star campaign were his home runs, from 37 to 17, and RBIs, from 92 to 68. He also lost nearly 100 points off his slugging percentage.

🚨 GUNNAR GO-AHEAD HOMER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/rTybuo3CaD

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 2, 2025

According to Statcast, Henderson’s barrel rate went from 11.2% in 2024 to a below-average 8.5% in 2025. His average exit velocity fell by only 0.7%, and his hard-hit rate (49.2%) placed in the 84th percentile, but that figure was still noticeably lower than the elite marks he put up the previous two seasons.

Even with those declines, Henderson finished 2025 with 5.3 bWAR — good for 11th in the American League among position players. He had a 121 OPS+, meaning he was 21% better than the league-average hitter, and remained elite on the basepaths, recording a career-best 7.3 BsR and 30 stolen bases.

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On Thursday, Henderson and the Orioles reached agreement on an $8.5 million salary for 2026 — a franchise record for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The lefty-hitting shortstop is scheduled to be eligible for free agency following the 2028 season.

Now healthy, Henderson will look to bounce back alongside newly added sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. He is also set to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, so fans will have to wait a bit longer to see them all in the lineup together.

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