Gunnar Henderson not starting Friday vs. A’s

Holliday will take a seat with left-hander Jeffrey Springs toeing the slab for the A’s. He has also been struggling at the dish recently, hitting just .170/.182/.208 with zero homers, two RBI and a 10/1 K/BB ratio over 55 plate appearances in his last 12 games. Blaze Alexander will start in his place at second base and bat leadoff for the O’s on Sunday afternoon in West Sacramento.

Alexander was back in Baltimore’s lineup after missing six weeks with a fractured hand. There’s plenty of competition for at-bats with the Orioles, but he figures to play regularly between several defensive spots against left-handed starters for the final month of the season.

Alexander missed six weeks while dealing with a fractured hand. He’s in the lineup Friday against the A’s, and should see playing time against left-handed pitching — with some starts versus righties — for the remainder of the season.

Alexander, out since mid-July with a fractured hand, figures to rejoin the Orioles next weekend. He was playing regularly between second and third when he got hurt, but he might be in line for more outfield time now with Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand having stepped up.

Alexander suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left-hand in mid-July and is yet to appear in game action since then. He progressed to fielding drills last week and is now reportedly healthy enough for a rehab assignment. That puts him on track to return to the Orioles within the next few weeks.

Batting out of the five hole for the first time since 2023, Henderson had one of his best nights of the season in Friday’s win. Henderson singled in his first two at-bats of the night and came around to score in the seventh inning after leading off the frame with a double. In the eighth inning, Henderson blasted a two-run homer off reliever Kevin Kelly to push the O’s lead to 6-2. Henderson has now homered 20-plus times in three of his last four seasons, and could see more opportunities lower in the order after tonight’s performance.

Alexander has been on the injured list since July 16th, when he suffered a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch. The fielding drills obviously involved him fielding balls with his glove hand, which is his left hand, and even though they weren’t hit hard off the bat, it’s a nice step in the right direction. There is still no stated timeline for his return.

Henderson’s two-run homer gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead in the second, and gave the shortstop his 19th homer of the 2026 campaign. He also singled and doubled for a friendly reminder of what Henderson is capable of at his best. Fantasy managers are well aware that there just haven’t been enough of these days in 2026.

Appearing on Just Baseball, Olney was talking about the Orioles trading away Adley Rutschman and mentioned that the move could have ripple effects throughout the organization, including Henderson. The 25-year-old shortstop has two years of team control remaining through arbitration, but Olney fully expects him to test the free agent market. Of course, that possibility could be impacted by how Henderson plays. He’s had a poor season by his standards in 2026, slashing .218/.297/.393 with 18 home runs, 65 runs scored, 47 RBI, and eight steals. That has come with the worst barrel rate and hard-hit rates of his career. If he rebounds next season, we may start to hear conversations about whether or not the Orioles should trade him at peak value rather than letting him walk in free agency.

Henderson’s home run was his 18th of the season. He hit a solo shot of Bryce Elder in the fifth inning. Henderson has already eclipsed his home run total from last year of 17. His .184 ISO this year is still a far cry from his .248 ISO when he hit 37 home run in 2024. With only eight steals in 104 games so far, Henderson is on pace to fall short of 20 stolen bases, which is a mark he’d hit in each of the last two years. He’s hitting .223 with a .701 OPS and 45 RBI.