Gunnar Henderson’s third full Major League season was another success, as the infielder hit .274/.349/.438 with 17 home runs over 651 plate appearances. It was more or less a match for the 2023 season that earned Henderson AL Rookie of the Year honors — Henderson posted a 122 wRC+ and 4.7 fWAR that year, and a 120 wRC+ and 4.8 fWAR in 2025.
Last season’s numbers were, however, a step back from the 154 wRC+ and 7.9 fWAR Henderson delivered in 2024. Henderson missed most of Spring Training and the first week of regular-season action recovering from an intercostal strain, but the shortstop revealed Thursday that he also spent about “three-quarters of the year” dealing with a heretofore unknown shoulder impingement.
In an interview on WBAL’s Orioles Hot Stove Show (hat tip to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko), Henderson said “I just wasn’t able to hold the plane and my body was adjusting to it, not feeling great, so that didn’t really set up me in the right spot to leverage the ball like I normally do.” Despite his solid production, Henderson “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. Looking forward to being healthy this year and getting back to my normal self.”
The injury wasn’t serious enough to merit a trip to the injured list, or even any missed time, as Henderson played in 154 of 155 games after being activated from the IL on April 4. Since the Orioles faded from contention pretty early in the season, the team certainly should’ve shut down Henderson or at least reduced his playing time if there was any real concern over his shoulder.
With Henderson now predicting good health for 2026, the shoulder impingement can probably just be written off as a yet another footnote within an injury-riddled season for the Orioles roster. Getting the 2024 version of Henderson back would go a long way towards helping the O’s return to playoff contention after their disappointing 75-win campaign.
Having Framber Valdez in the rotation would also be a huge boost, and the possibility of a big rotation add remains alive since the Orioles have been linked to the free agent southpaw’s market. This isn’t the first time Baltimore has looked to acquire Valdez, however, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report that the left-hander was part of a four-player trade package the Astros were prepared to send to the O’s for Zack Britton at the 2017 trade deadline.
It was known at the time that a Britton trade fell apart at the last minute between the two sides, with the Orioles reportedly pulling out due to medical concerns over two of the players involved. Houston’s side of the deal wasn’t known until now, as Rosenthal/Sammon report that the Astros were offering Valdez (then a somewhat unheralded Double-A prospect), J.D. Davis, Jason Martin, and Rogelio Armenteros for Britton, who was in the midst of an injury-shortened season but was arguably baseball’s best closer when healthy.
While initial reports said the Orioles took issue with the medical of both pitchers (Armenteros and Valdez) in the trade offer, Rosenthal/Sammon write that Baltimore’s issue was just with Armenteros. Former Orioles owner Peter Angelos was somewhat notorious for his caution over pitcher health, leading to several trades or free agent signings that were renegotiated at the eleventh hour, or abandoned altogether.
Armenteros’ MLB career ended up consisting of five appearances for the Astros in 2019 and he missed the entire 2020 season due to surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. In this context, it’s hard to say the Orioles were incorrect in their concern, though Arementeros ended up being the least-accomplished of the four players Houston offered. Beyond just Valdez, Davis became a very productive infielder once the Astros traded him to the Mets during the 2018-19 offseason, and that breakout could’ve very well happened in Baltimore rather than in New York. Martin’s MLB career consisted of 85 games with the Pirates and Rangers from 2019-21, but Martin was one of the four players the Astros sent to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole prior to the 2018 season.
The Astros went onto win the 2017 World Series anyway without Britton, and Valdez ended up being a cornerstone piece of the team’s success over the last decade. While Houston’s front office (which included current Orioles president of baseball ops Mike Elias at the time) was surely irritated when the Orioles pulled the plug on the Britton trade, the team came out on top in the long run, and it’s another example of how you just never know which prospect might end up as the key figure of a trade package.
In fairness to the O’s, there wasn’t much indication at the time that Valdez would turn into a frontline starter, and it is possible Valdez wouldn’t have developed as well as he did in Baltimore’s organization rather than in Houston. The 2017 season was the first of five straight losing seasons for the Orioles as they entered a rebuilding period under Elias, and it is interesting to wonder how having Valdez (and Davis) around might’ve changed the trajectory of that rebuild.
why do players insist on playing thru severe pain that limits their production which will then have a negative effect on their teams success? instead of resting until they’re better, or having surgery and going thru recovery, rehab, then come back 100%? instead many players play thru injuries the entire season, then wait til offseason to recover. they think they’re being heroes by playing thru pain but they’re just hurting their tms more than helping and potentially causing worse injury by playing. just dumb
Maybe it’s the Wally Pipp story of about 90 years ago
Not sure that describes this situation. Gunnar was still very good and better than anyone they would have replaced him with.
I agree that in a lot of cases it hurts the team by an individual playing thru the pain. I think that the competitive nature, and especially for the the younger players the desire to prove they belong fuels them. Also, most players probably believe they are better then their replacement, even though they are hampered by injury, so they play through it.
Well in some cases the player and team decide together what action to take. I believe the Cubs did that with Tucker last year.
Severe pain? Pain? Bothersome? How people describe and cope with pain/discomfort/injuries varies for one player to another. Add more than a little young(??) male “I’m fine, I won’t let the team down, lead be example” psychology/indoctrination/culture and you get these out comes.
Just humans doing human, in the end.
It’s about doing your job. Sure there are bad apples who exploit the guaranteed contracts, but most want to support the team. These guys are paid for work 162 days a year, posting for those days is the least you can do. I’t’s up to the team to hold injured players out, if prudent.
Or 70% Gunnar > other options.
if 100% gunnar has a shoulder impingement, then he becomes 70% gunnar. if 70% gunnar plays thru the injury and does not rest or take proper steps to recover, then 70% gunnar might become 50% gunnar as a result of further damaging said injury. then 50% gunnar plays thru that more extreme pain, and eventually he becomes 0% gunnar who can only find work in the saudi arabia baseball league.
yes, humans will be humans and will wanna be competitive. but sometimes to be “human” it means to take steps to protect your health today and play half a season so that in the future you can play full seasons year after year. most likely, gunnar who was 23 years old this year, thought of himself as really young and the injury wont have a long term effect on his health and his body. but why take that risk? when you’re so talented, and your whole career/life is ahead of you. also the O’s were out of contention early. he was never going to help them compete. so go the safe route. heal up. come back 100%. i thought thats common sense.
Their teammates need them. It’s that simple. And when it’s not that, it’s bc they’re afraid they’ll lose their job.
He’ll always be the that guy the Yanks passed on for both Volpe and Sikemma in that draft.
Nice of you to say!
(So did 28 other teams btw)
Context matters. He was a projected late 1st round pick. Sikemma was projected 2nd round and Volpe mid to late 2nd round.
Cool, interesting run down on the Britton almost-trade.
The number of professional athletes who compete through pain is … all of them.
This is about as safe as assumptions can be:
“…it is possible Valdez wouldn’t have developed as well as he did in Baltimore’s organization rather than in Houston.”
Even though Gunnar had a down year, he still was one of the best players in the American League. 5.3 war and a 121 ops+ were very good. If he can stay healthy for a whole season, he will be a contender for the ALMVP. He has so much potential, and he is only 24 years old with a career 21.4 baseball reference war. Gunnar Henderson is the most underrated super star in baseball.
^ oh heck bleeping yes!
Hmmm my AI pal Claude says Cal Raleigh and Nico Hoerner are the most underrated super star position players in the MLB…but yeah Gunnar isn’t in the limelight a lot fer sher fer sher…
Let’s
Go
O’s!!!!
Not sure Valdez with the O’s moves the needle that much on their rebuild, which has been extraordinary in its own right. The old regime likely would have screwed him up anyway (see Arietta pre-CHC).
Fair. Also Gausman pre-SF
Thankfully we didn’t trade for Britton.
Instead they got Dillon Tate