It's been a disastrous season for Gunnar Henderson's Baltimore Orioles. The O's are 19-36, dead last in the American League East, 16 games back of the first-place New York Yankees, and recently fired manager Brandon Hyde.
With Baltimore mired in the basement, Henderson, who won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and was an All-Star for the first time in 2024, is still trying to find his footing after starting the season on the injured list with an intercostal strain.
Through 48 games, Henderson is hitting .254/.318/.435 with seven home runs and a 118 OPS+. Last year, he had 37 home runs -- setting a franchise record for most home runs in a season by a shortstop -- an .893 OPS and 158 OPS+.
"It's definitely a learning experience, because I've never had something quite like this," Henderson told CasinoBeats.com about his early-season struggles. "I know it'll ultimately help down the road. Hopefully (I'll) get this thing turned around and have a great rest of the season."
Despite the team's struggles in the first two months, Henderson says their focus is making the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
"You definitely have to find ways to do that," Henderson said about staying motivated during a long season. "Especially on some of the day games on the back half of the season, it gets to be a grind at that time, but that's when you enjoy being around the guys that you have in the clubhouse. They make life a lot easier whenever you're enjoying being around them."
Henderson added that the "longevity" of the season is the biggest hurdle.
"That's the biggest thing is being able to take care of your body, to be ready to go on each and every day. I feel like that's the best ability is availability. I know that's said a lot, but it rings true, especially in a 162-game season."
It would be a massive undertaking for the Orioles to get back into the postseason hunt, so much so that they will most likely be sellers at the trade deadline. For Henderson this year, it's about proving that he's still one of the top shortstops in the game.