Orioles fans hold their breath as Gunnar Henderson exits spring matchup early

Orioles fans everywhere are holding their collective breath after star shortstop Gunnar Henderson exited Thursday's spring training matchup against the Blue Jays early after suffering an apparent injury.

As reported by Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun, Henderson was removed from Thursday's game after just one inning. The O's star had gone 0-1 in his lone plate appearance, running hard down the line trying to beat out an infield grounder. Henderson also made a leaping infield catch, showing off some of his defensive skill before exiting the game with an Orioles' trainer.

The extent and severity of the issue are unknown, as of now. The best case scenario here is that the move is just precautionary but until we receive more info, it's tough to not be a bit worried about the potential downsides here.

Orioles can't afford to lose Gunnar Henderson for any significant period of time

Henderson is the offensive catalyst for the Orioles heading into 2025. He's coming off a career year in which he posted 8.0 fWAR and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting. The Orioles are counting on Henderson, more than anyone else on the roster, to help lead the team moving forward.

The bright side, at least until we get an update on his status, is that teams are generally very proactive about potential injuries in spring training. More likely than not, the choice to remove Henderson from today's game was just an overly cautious measure that won't amount to much. But there's always the devil in your ear, trying to convince you of the worst case scenario, and this is a loss the Orioles really wouldn't be able to afford.

In the event where Henderson needs to miss some time, the Orioles will be in a rough spot. All Star third baseman Jordan Westburg is already suffering from a back injury that's kept him out of spring action since this past Saturday. Missing both Henderson and Westburg in spring games is one thing but the offense will look significantly worse without the pair, and it would be extremely difficult for the rest of the team to pick up their slack in regular season action.

One potential positive note regarding Westburg's injury is that it could create a bit more opportunity for star prospect Coby Mayo. The rookie wasn't sharp in his debut last year but enters 2025 with a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove.

Whatever happens with Henderson, it's important that the Orioles don't mess around with Jackson Holliday. The former top prospect has been shifted over to second base, where he profiles a bit better defensively. If the Orioles move him back and forth between second and short in the interim, there's a decent chance that would interrupt Holliday's development, both on defense and at the plate. It's best to leave Holliday where he is and use some combination of Luis Vasquez and Livan Soto to bridge the gap until either Henderson or Jorge Mateo can play.