Gunnar Henderson (knee) sitting out Wednesday

The 25-year-old shortstop was held out of Wednesday’s lineup due to left knee discomfort. He appears to be doing much better after Thursday’s off-day though and is back in there at shortstop and batting fifth for the O’s against Blue Jays’ righty Max Scherzer.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Henderson’s left knee locked up on him after he fouled a ball off his leg in the eighth inning. He was lifted for precautionary reasons and it doesn’t appear to be a significant concern. There should be additional clarity on his status heading into Wednesday’s series finale.

Henderson was lifted for a pinch-runner after fouling a ball off his left leg in the eighth inning. He finished 0-for-3 with a walk. He’ll presumably undergo X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status before Wednesday’s series finale.

It’s the fourth time since 1954 that a Baltimore hitter has picked up two homers and a triple in the same game. Henderson also singled and scored three runs in an effort that is both encouraging as a reminder that the 25-year-old has upper-echelon talent, and frustrating because there just haven’t been close to enough games that even resemble this one. He is up to 22 homers on the campaign, but they come with a disappointing .715 OPS.

Henderson will get a break against southpaw Jacob Lopez to open the three-game series against the A’s. Blaze Alexander will get the start in Henderson’s absence, and hit leadoff in the process.

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.

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.

That’s a first for Henderson. He didn’t have even one double in his 13 previous games this month, and he hadn’t had multiple doubles in a game this season. We’re still waiting for a real hot streak from the 25-year-old. He homered nine times in April, but he’s added just eight more since. He opened the second half by going 1-for-13 with six strikeouts in the series against Houston, though the Orioles won all three games anyway.