WEST SACRAMENTO -- Whether it’s hitting, manning shortstop or scouting opposing pitchers, Gunnar Henderson has a lot to think about during a typical game day.
So when Henderson took a seat for the Orioles’ series opener against the Athletics on Friday at Sutter Health Park -- just his second off-day all season -- the move let Henderson “get my legs back under me.”
“It was nice to have nothing to really think about that day and just get a mental break that day,” Henderson said after Sunday’s 8-5 victory. “I felt like yesterday and today were pretty good days.”
Calling Sunday a “pretty good day” for Henderson is quite the understatement. To help the Orioles complete a sweep of the A’s, the star shortstop put together one of the best games of his career: a 4-for-4, two-homer, five-RBI showing that also included a number of stellar defensive plays.
“It was an outstanding all-around game for Gunnar,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.
Henderson launched his first homer in his opening at-bat, then put his club in the lead for good with a three-run clout to the berm well beyond the right-field wall in the fifth. He reached on an infield single in between and capped his day with an opposite-field RBI triple in the eighth.
It was a much-needed performance for a star player experiencing an offensive downturn. After following up his 2023 Rookie of the Year campaign with an All-Star 2024, finishing fourth in AL MVP voting, Henderson’s OPS dipped from .893 in 2024 to .787 in 2025. Entering Sunday, Henderson’s OPS was a career-low .690.
Still, the Orioles knew it was only a matter of time. Henderson had been hitting the ball better in recent weeks, even before socking three balls at over 100 mph in Sunday’s win. He entered the day with a .387 expected wOBA in August, which ranked 10th among all players with 75 or more plate appearances.
“He’s an elite shortstop -- a guy that can change the game in any moment defensively, offensively,” infield coach Miguel Cairo said.
For as much as his offense helped Baltimore erase an early 5-1 deficit, Henderson’s glovework helped keep the game from getting out of hand. He scooped up a one-hopper up the middle to strand the bases loaded in the second inning, turned an impressive 6-3 double play in the fifth and made a nice sliding stop and spinning throw to end the sixth.
All three plays came after A’s rookie Henry Bolte chopped a ball to shortstop that Henderson couldn’t handle, was credited with an infield single and came around to score in the second.
“Gunnar being Gunnar, he was upset he didn’t make the play, but he definitely more than made up for it on defense,” Albernaz said.
Henderson’s big day with the glove followed another impressive defensive night. Before turning a 5-6-3 double play to get out of a major jam in the eighth inning on Saturday, Henderson ranged deep in the hole and made a one-hop throw to first baseman Coby Mayo for a picturesque out.
Starter Chris Bassitt, who credited Henderson with “a couple Top 10 plays” behind him Sunday, said he’s glad to see the Orioles star turning the page. The shortstop raised his OPS in August to .838.
“Obviously, I feel like his approach and his bat is coming along,” Bassitt said. “The work that he’s putting in, finally starting to feel like Gunnar more out there than the other guy.”
The “other guy” -- the version of Henderson who at times looked lost at the plate -- has hardly been seen through the first six games of a nine-day, three-city road trip through St. Louis, West Sacramento and Denver. While the Orioles have yet to tangle with the Rockies at Coors Field, their sweep of the A’s was their third consecutive series victory.
That has the Orioles, at 68-69, just one game behind the Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot with four weeks remaining.
“I think we’re starting to play some really good ball at the optimal time of the year,” Henderson said. “This is what you play for: meaningful games coming down to the last month or however many games it is left.”
With the stretch run well underway, it’s easy to see why the Orioles opted to give Henderson his first day off since early May -- a decision that now seems prescient.
“He’s awesome,” Albernaz said. “He’s been handling it well, but it was great to get him a breather. Today was outstanding.”