Henderson going on IL, Mateo possible for Opening Day, Povich is fifth starter, Bautista on roster (updated)

SARASOTA, Fla. – The hesitation and hedging are over.

Gunnar Henderson has missed too many exhibition games and won’t be ready for Opening Day. The Orioles won’t carry him on the roster and play shorthanded. The All-Star shortstop and best player on the team is beginning the season on the injured list.

Henderson will miss a minimum of seven games.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed the decision this morning before the Orioles headed to North Port to play the Braves in the last exhibition game in Florida.

They break camp and prepare for Monday afternoon’s game against the Nationals in D.C., then fly to Toronto to rest, work out and start the 2025 regular season against the rival Blue Jays.

Henderson won’t be available to help them.

The news was anticipated for more than a week, as Henderson remained shut down, then did some light hitting, took live batting practice and faced pitchers Saturday in Sarasota. He was making progress but couldn’t beat the clock.

"He’s gonna stay back in Florida," Elias said. "He took simulated at-bats yesterday, hit very well. He’s gonna take more today, he’s gonna take more tomorrow, he’s gonna take more the next day, but he will start the season on  the IL, which will be a minimum of seven days missed. We’re gonna try to get him out there as soon as possible. Obviously, I’m very hopeful that the IL stint will be measured in days instead of weeks, but I don’t have a crystal ball. But he’s doing well and it’s a matter of getting him prepared for the season, getting him at-bats, measuring his recovery."

Henderson was the unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year in 2023, made the All-Star team last summer and finished fourth in Most Valuable Player voting. He reported to camp last spring with a sore oblique but easily made the Opening Day roster and played in 159 games.

His latest injury occurred on Feb. 27 against the Jays after he raced to his right and made a leaping catch of Bo Bichette’s line drive. Henderson maintained his footing but landed in an awkward position and strained his right intercostal, a rib cage muscle that can be slow to heal.

Manager Brandon Hyde removed Henderson after an at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, only the sixth plate appearance this spring.

The Orioles haven’t announced which players will comprise the 26-man roster, but Livan Soto must be regarded as the favorite to replace Henderson after collecting two more hits yesterday to raise his average to .395 with a .946 OPS. He is trusted to play shortstop and move around the infield, and it’s easy to get him on the 40-man roster by shifting Tyler Wells or Andrew Kittredge to the 60-day injured list.

Kyle Bradish was transferred to it Friday night when the Orioles signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson.

Injuries are part of any camp and season, but the Orioles took some serious blows by losing Henderson, Kittredge and starter Grayson Rodriguez. Kittredge will be gone for at least a few months after his surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee, and Rodriguez is limited to playing catch while recovering from right elbow soreness that required a cortisone injection.

Infielder Jorge Mateo is in today’s lineup, will get simulated at-bats the next two days in Sarasota and hasn’t been ruled out for Opening Day.

"That’s going to be a determination that we make right up to the beginning of Opening Day," Elias said.

Hyde confirmed that Félix Bautista is on the Opening Day roster. Today's appearance is a tune-up.

Bautista's fastball has topped out at 98 mph, a few notches below the norm.

"I think it’s going to build up in the regular season. It’s not too far off," Elias said. "We saw some 98s. A lot of these were day games on the road, the fourth inning of a spring training game. I think when you’re throwing 100, you kind of got to reach back for it. I don’t think he’s doing that, necessarily. The important thing is he feels really good. He’s throwing strikes. He didn’t get the results the other day. Just looking at his stuff after the game, I thought it was arguably his best stuff of the spring. That was good to see.”

Left-hander Cade Povich was chosen as the No. 5 starter and will pitch in the home opener on March 31 against the Red Sox. Albert Suárez goes to the bullpen.

Povich had the best spring of any starter, including his five hitless innings against the Blue Jays in his last outing. The late production seemed to be the tipping point.

"Yeah, a little bit," Elias said. "There were some arguments to be made in either direction. We just thought Cade, he just looks so good right now. I think he gives us what we feel is the best chance to win the fifth game of the season and he’s in a good spot. He’s not somebody that we would entertain putting him in a major league bullpen right now, so didn’t want option him. We want him on the team. We think he’s hopefully one of our better pitchers.”

Povich registered a 2.60 ERA in five September starts and didn't slow down in camp, eliminating any theories that what he did might be a fluke.

“I think he kind of picked up where he left off," Elias said. "He’s just been an encouraging guy since we acquired him. He’s still young and he’s still filling out physically, I think, believe it or not. But I think he’s shown here in this camp and last fall down the stretch he really knows how to pitch, and that’s nice. I think he’s in a good spot and upward arc in his career, and I think he presents some upside for us. So we wanted to start him out in the rotation and see where he takes us.”

Grayson Rodriguez will travel with the team to Toronto while he’s on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He didn't sustain any ligament damage. Elias described it as "inflammation impingement in the back area of his elbow," which can be treated with rest and cortisone.

"He’s in a throwing buildup," Elias said. "He’s starting from square zero with his throwing buildup, so he’s just playing catch. We’re gonna keep moving that out. I think next month would be the earliest he gets off the mound, so it’s gonna be a while before there’s any type of exciting updates with Grayson just because we’re starting over with his throwing, but so far so good."

Catcher Samuel Basallo, who’s at minor league camp, has elbow inflammation and irritation that will restrict him to serving as designated hitter with Triple-A Norfolk. He isn’t expected to catch for several weeks.

"I think the only certainty we have right now is we’re probably not gonna see him playing the field for several weeks to start the season," Elias said, "but we’ll reassess it in a few days."

Outfielder Dylan Carlson was optioned this morning in the first cut.

"I think he’s gonna be a huge part of this team," Elias said. "We’ve got a long season ahead of us, so just because somebody doesn’t make the Opening Day roster doesn’t mean that they’re not gonna be a big part of the mix.”

Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott threw in the bullpen.

"Now they’re basically at the point of building up as a starting pitcher would at the beginning of a spring training," Elias said. "They have gotten off the mound successfully, so now it’s just a matter of, hopefully, healthily and successfully building them up and kind of simulating a spring training buildup for a starter. That will put them several weeks, as you might imagine, for a buildup before we can start considering them for game action."

Infielder Emmanuel Rivera is staying in Sarasota.

"He’s got the left shoulder inflammation right now," Elias said. "I’m not sure of the timeline with him, exactly, but he’s gonna start the season on the Norfolk IL. Hopefully, it’s just a few weeks and we can get him going."

Elias didn't have any meaty updates on Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Andrew Kittredge. Bradish already was moved to the 60-day injured list.

"I will say all three of them are doing extremely well, so I think we would maybe have some optimism that they’re all on the front side of the windows, but it’s still too early to get more precise about when those guys are coming back," Elias said. "But definitely nothing has shifted later with those guys and their rehabs are flying along positively, knock on wood."