Orioles' Henderson hoping to play Opening Day: 'That's my plan'
Baltimore Orioles star shortstop Gunnar Henderson believes he can overcome his intercostal strain in time to crack the Opening Day lineup.
"That's my plan," he said of playing March 27 against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. "That's what I'm hoping for."
The 23-year-old hasn't played in a spring training game since he suffered the injury Feb. 27. He resumed baseball activities this week, beginning with hitting drills Tuesday.
Henderson described the injury as different than the oblique soreness he worked through last spring.
"This one is a little bit unique, in the sense of what I had happen last year," he said. "This one is just kind of lingering. Body was in a weird, awkward position whenever I caught the ball and then landed on it weird. Didn’t feel great.”
Henderson has never landed on the injured list as a major leaguer.
He was named an All-Star and finished fourth in AL MVP voting last year after hitting .281/.364/.529 with 37 home runs and 92 RBIs. The 8.0 fWAR he accrued ranked fifth in MLB.
Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are candidates to play shortstop for the Orioles if Henderson isn't healthy.