Was Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson’s absence from spring training a factor in his 2026 underperformance?

Question: How much difference does a full uninterrupted spring training make to a player? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Gunnar Henderson has had two subpar years when not having a full spring training — 2025 due to injury and this year due to the World Baseball Classic. From: @therealmuncie

Answer: Graham, I think players are creatures of habit, and they need a gradual ramp-up. A six-week spring training provides that. Henderson was not the only player who participated in the World Baseball Classic who had a subpar 2026 season.

Roman Anthony, Byron Buxton, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes, Will Smith and Logan Webb were among other members of Team USA who had injury-plagued or below normal performance.

Of course, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bryce Harper and Bobby Witt Jr., who also played, had excellent seasons.

Henderson thought the experience of playing in a World Series atmosphere outweighed missing time from training camp.

I think Jackson Holliday, who wasn’t on Team USA, also suffered from not having a spring training.

The WBC is a great event, and I’m afraid that these examples may serve to convince players in the next Classic not to participate.

Question: How do we get Gunnar to take a stint on the injured list when he’s hurt? The past two years he’s been selfish and played through injuries and even though a hurt Gunnar is still better than a lot of players, we need him at his best. From: Jim, York, PA

Answer: As we often hear from Craig Albernaz, every player is not at his best physically throughout the season. Henderson thought that he could play through the injury. He obviously has a great pain tolerance and missed only three games.

Teams can’t unilaterally put players on the injured list. Most times it’s obvious, and other times teams convince players it’s wise to take some time because the injury could get more serious without rest, and that it’s hurting the team.

Henderson did miss the beginning of the 2025 season with an intercostal injury and played through much of the season with a shoulder injury, which he didn’t reveal until January.

Star players, and Henderson is one, have more leeway with these types of conditions, and you probably want players who desperately want to play instead of ones who really don’t want to try to play through relatively minor injuries.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.