Jordan Westburg is dealing with a hopefully small injury as well, the Orioles said on Thursday.
The only thing that really matters as spring training is that no important Orioles get hurt. Unfortunately for O’s fans, Thursday’s game turned into one with some bad news after shortstop Gunnar Henderson left the game following just one inning. The team later announced that Henderson’s exit was due to “lower right side discomfort.”
This wasn’t even the only bit of Orioles infield injury news from Thursday. Prior to the game, the team also said that Jordan Westburg, absent for a few days from the lineup, is dealing with a back issue, for which he is being treated. He’s currently expected to be back in action in another few days. Let’s hope that plays out that way.
Thursday’s Orioles spring training game against the Blue Jays was not televised in any way, so there was way to be sure just from what anyone saw on what actually happened to Henderson. In the top of the first inning, Henderson was involved in a play where he made a leaping catch. In the bottom of the first inning, he ran to first while trying to beat out a poorly fielded grounder. Following that, he was replaced in the field for the top of the second inning by Luis Vasquez.
After the game, manager Brandon Hyde told Orioles reporters that the discomfort followed from Henderson landing on his side after catching the line drive. Hyde said there is no plan for an MRI and that Henderson will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
What “lower right side discomfort” turns out to mean will probably influence the appropriate level of panic. If it ends up being some kind of oblique strain, Henderson might not be back and ready for Opening Day. If it turns out to be a minor cramp or tweak of a calf muscle that the team was just overly cautious about because it’s spring training and there’s no need to push through anything, then it’s fine.
It’s not fun to even have to worry for a little while. There is not a backup plan for when your nine-win MVP-level shortstop suffers an injury that could require an injured list stint. No team can prepare for it. Don’t literally hold your breath, because you’d die before we find out more, but if you’re holding it figuratively, me too.