Orioles Superstar MVP Candidate To Begin Regular Season on Injured List

The Baltimore Orioles did not get the news they were hoping for on the status of their superstar shortstop for the first week of the MLB season.

Sep 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws out Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) in the sixth inning at Target Field. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias delivered an update on the status of the team's superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson, and it's not the news fans were hoping for.

Elias told MLB.com beat reporter Jake Rill that Henderson will begin the season on the injured list, meaning that he will be out of action for a minimum of seven days.

Henderson was pulled from a spring training game in early March after an awkward landing following a mid-air defensive play, though the team said at the time that his removal from the game was precautionary.

The MVP candidate returned to baseball activities on March 11, but he has not been able to take part in any further spring training games since suffering the injury to his lower right side.

The injury is a blow for the Orioles, but Elias told Roll that he is hopeful that the stint on the IL will be measured in "days instead of weeks."

Henderson, the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year, is coming off of a phenomenal 2024 campaign in which he firmly established himself as the Orioles' franchise player.

Posting a triple slash line of .281/.364/.529, Henderson clubbed 37 home runs and stole 21 bases on his way to finishing in fourth place in American League MVP voting and making his first All-Star game appearance.

Henderson led Baltimore to a wild card berth in the postseason, but the Orioles were swept in two games by the Kansas City Royals.

The team hopes to contend in a wide open American League this season, and their chances of doing so will certainly receive a boost when Henderson returns to lead the lineup.