Henderson went 1-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.
Henderson is hitting just .160 through 10 games this spring, and just one of his hits, a triple, has gone for extra bases. It's not exactly an encouraging line for a player whose spot in the big leagues isn't guaranteed, but the bright side is that players like Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo also haven't done much with the bat this spring. Henderson is still more on the likely side to make the Opening Day roster, but he'll need to build off of Sunday's effort to solidify his place in the Orioles' short-term plans.
Henderson is making his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday after overcoming some wrist soreness, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Henderson that "he would have been able to play, no problem," as the team was just being extra cautious. Henderson is at third base and batting third Tuesday versus the Pirates in his first game of the spring.
Orioles' Gunnar Henderson: To take reps at third and short
Rotowire
Henderson told Jake Rill of MLB.com on Friday that he plans to take reps at both third base and shortstop during spring training.
Henderson played more shortstop than third base in the minors before being used more at the hot corner during his late-season stint with the Orioles. The consensus among scouts seems to be that he could handle shortstop but would be better at third base. He might play both positions during the season and also perhaps some second base, but where Henderson sees the most action could ultimately be determined by the performance of the team's alternatives, Jorge Mateo at shortstop and Ramon Urias at third base.
