Orioles observations on Gunnar Henderson’s 3B work, Povich open to bullpen

SARASOTA, Fla. — Should Gunnar Henderson jog out to the third base bag on defense one inning this spring, have no fear. The Orioles’ shortstop is not making a position change.

Henderson has been taking groundballs at third on the back fields of Ed Smith Stadium in preparation for rotating between the two positions for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He said Monday that he could see some time at his old position in a Grapefruit League game before he heads to Miami for the tournament Sunday.

“Getting into a back-to-back earlier, just trying to get my body ready is the biggest thing,” Henderson said of how his spring routine has changed with the WBC in mind. “I feel like I’ve been taking the right steps day in and day out to do that, and I feel like I’m ready to play every day. So, I feel like I’m in a good spot.”

The 24-year-old will be in the mix for starts at both shortstop and third base in the WBC alongside the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., Chicago Cubs’ Alex Bregman and Toronto Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement. Witt is the only holdover of that group from the 2023 roster that finished runner-up to Japan, but he spent the tournament on the bench while Trea Turner starred as the starting shortstop.

After watching the U.S. men’s hockey national team clinch its win over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game Sunday, Henderson is looking forward to getting a taste of that in the WBC — and he hopes MLB and the players union can reach an agreement to allow their players to compete in the 2028 Summer Games as well.

“That would be super special, being able to get into the Olympics and compete for the gold medal at that point,” Henderson said. “After watching that hockey game, that’s definitely something that’s a top priority.”

Povich open to bullpen role

Cade Povich was one of the few bright spots in the Orioles’ 10-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday, tossing two scoreless innings in his first Grapefruit League start of the spring. He tested out a new gyro slider that he worked on this offseason and left the outing largely pleased with how his repertoire played.

“I think for the most part in the offseason I’ve been in a good spot with where movement, velos and stuff [have] been,” Povich said. “Being in games, just trying to get back in the routine of batter to batter, filling up the zone, getting ahead early and mixing my pitches. I think overall the goal today was just to get a feel for the zone, mix everything and just keep it easy and try [to] ramp up each inning, and then each outing in the future.”

Povich, 25, went 3-8 with a 5.21 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 22 games (20 starts) last season, getting the opportunity to stick in the Orioles’ rotation because of injuries and their fire sale at the trade deadline. After Baltimore re-signed Zach Eflin, traded for Shane Baz and signed Chris Bassitt, the left-hander finds himself on the outside looking in at the pitching staff.

Though the Orioles are building him up as a starter to begin camp, Povich said after his outing Monday that he’s open to pitching out of the bullpen if it means he has a better chance of making the team.

“It’ll continue with talks with them,” Povich said. “If whatever they come to me with, if they say, ‘We think this is going to help the team best,’ then I’m all for it.”

Baltimore’s top two projected left-handers, Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns, are both off to slow starts to the spring. Results this early in spring training aren’t anything to make grand conclusions about, but Akin gave up two runs in his appearance Monday, and Enns was tagged for six runs in his spring debut Saturday.

Povich could be a dark horse for a bullpen spot if the Orioles believe his pitches will play up in shorter bursts. Their bullpen remains perhaps the biggest question mark on their roster, and competition for the last few spots will likely come down to the final days of spring.

“He looked really good,” manager Craig Albernaz said of Povich after Monday’s game. “He looked crisp on the mound. It was good to see him get his offspeed going, but yeah, he looked good coming down the mound and his tempo was really good, throwing strikes. Yeah, it was encouraging for Povich.”

Around the horn

• After Ryan O’Hearn got his “revenge” with a home run against Baltimore on Saturday, fellow former Oriole Jorge Mateo one-upped him with a grand slam off right-hander Cohen Achen as part of Atlanta’s eight-run sixth inning. Mateo, who spent the past 4 1/2 seasons as a utility player and speed specialist with the Orioles, signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Braves in the offseason.

• The sixth inning was disastrous for Achen, who also hit former Orioles catcher Chadwick Tromp with a pitch to the head. Tromp stayed down for a couple of minutes before walking off the field under his own power. Achen, who reached Double-A last season in his first year out of college, was charged with five runs (four earned) without recording an out in the frame. Nonroster invitee Enoli Paredes also allowed three runs and managed just one out.

• Atlanta carried a bid for a no-hitter into the fifth inning until outfielder Dylan Beavers doubled to put two runners in scoring position for second baseman Luis Vázquez. The glove-first infielder then came through, hitting a double of his own for the biggest Orioles hit of the afternoon. Catcher Adley Rutschman was the only other starter to record a hit, going 1-for-3 with a single before Maverick Handley took over behind the plate.

• The Orioles saw an impressive swing out of 2024 first-round pick Vance Honeycutt, who launched a two-run home run 103.5 mph off the bat in the eighth inning. Honeycutt, who was called up from minor league camp for the contest, is coming off a disappointing season after he hit just .171 with five home runs and a .559 OPS in 101 games at High-A Aberdeen. No longer hampered by the pitcher-friendly confines of the IronBirds’ stadium after Baltimore replaced them with the Frederick Keys as their High-A affiliate, Honeycutt will look to put together more swings like that one in 2026.

“Offseason was really good, working my body a lot trying to get stronger, faster and did some mechanical things hitting–wise,” Honeycutt said. “I’m excited to be back. And in terms of Aberdeen, maybe [the change will help], but not really focused on that. Control what I can control and let the rest play out.”