As reigning American League Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson gets ready for his spring training debut on Tuesday, Baltimore Orioles ' manager Brandon Hyde made a big declaration.
Per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN:
Gunnar Henderson, who had been battling an oblique issue, will make his spring training debut today against a Twins split squad. He’ll spend the majority of his time at shortstop this season, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said third base is “still an option.”
So this means a few different things, potentially:
1) With Henderson penciled in as the shortstop, veteran Jorge Mateo likely will transition into a utility role. He can play second or short, and can even dabble in the outfield. Mateo's electric speed can also become a weapon off the bench for the defending American League East champions.
2) If the team is committed to Jordan Westburg being on the Opening Day roster, third base is now open for him. One of the top prospects in the organization, he made his major league debut last season. Though he has the prospect pedigree, it's not a foregone conclusion that he will play third base at the big league level for this team. Ramon Urias, Tyler Nevin and Nick Maton are all options as well.
3) If Westburg does make the shift to third base, that leaves open second base for baseball's No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday. The path to him making the Opening Day roster is now clear, but he'll still have to battle with the other infielders mentioned above - and Kolten Wong - who just signed a minor league deal.
The O's won 101 games last season and were beaten by the Texas Rangers in the ALDS.
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