Source: Henderson and Hall headed to Cleveland to join Orioles

CLEVELAND – The Orioles are ready to increase their roster with two of the top prospects in the organization.

According to an industry source, infielder Gunnar Henderson and reliever DL Hall are flying to Cleveland on Wednesday to join the taxi squad.

Rosters can expand to 28 players on Thursday, when the Orioles complete their three-game series against the Guardians and head home.

Henderson is rated as the No. 1 prospect by Baseball America, and his promotion has been anticipated for more than a week. He played second base tonight for Triple-A Norfolk and collected three more hits.

The Orioles had Henderson making starts on the right side of the infield to increase their flexibility when he arrived in the majors. He’s primarily been a shortstop and third baseman since they drafted him in the second round in 2019 out of John T. Morgan Academy in Selma, Ala.

Bringing Henderson to Cleveland puts the Orioles’ first three selections in the 2019 draft on the roster, including catcher Adley Rutschman, chosen one/one, and outfielder Kyle Stowers.

Henderson’s three-hit night left his line at .288/.390/.504 in 65 games with Norfolk, after he batted .312/.452/.573 in 47 games with Double-A Bowie. His major league debut will come at age 21.

The 2022 stats include 24 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs and 76 RBIs. Some concerns were expressed over Henderson’s walk-strikeout ratio in Triple-A and struggles versus left-handed pitching, but nothing that would keep him down in the minors.

The offense needs a jolt, and the Orioles are hoping that Henderson can provide it. The Orioles were one-hit tonight in a 5-1 loss to the Guardians and have scored three runs or fewer in their last seven games.

Hall made his major league debut Aug. 13 against the Rays at Tropicana Field and allowed five runs and five hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. The Orioles immediately optioned him with plans to convert him to a reliever for a September return, shortening his rest periods and innings.

The 2017 first-rounder worked 1 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings tonight after also going 1 1/3 innings on Saturday and two last Tuesday.

The bullpen now ranks fifth in ERA in the majors at 3.17 and eighth in innings at 499 1/3, and manager Brandon Hyde spoke today about the benefits of adding an extra pitcher when rosters expand.

Hall is the No. 4 prospect in the system per Baseball America and No. 6 per MLBPipeline.com. He’ll return to starting in 2023. This is a temporary bullpen assignment.

The news is intertwined with top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez, the first-round pick in 2018, beginning his injury rehab assignment Thursday night at high Single-A Aberdeen. He could debut with the Orioles next month.

Players must be on the 40-man roster by Sept. 1 or in the organization and replacing someone on the injured list to be eligible for the postseason. The Orioles will need to create room for Henderson on the 40-man when he's activated.