An Avalanche Of Shit Hit The Orioles This Morning As We Find Out Gunnar Henderson, Kyle Bradish and John Means Are All Injured To Begin Spring Training
My goodness......we didn't even get a chance to enjoy the "Spring Training has started" tweets before Baltimore was hit with an avalanche of shit. GM Mike Elias met with reporters this morning and the second he opened his mouth the bad news just flew out. Injuries all over the place, some bigger than others but man, we were not expecting that. Kyle Bradish, Gunnar Henderson, John Means, and one of the top prospects in baseball Samuel Basallo are all hurt and expected to miss some time and this is why I need to find a new hobby and can't find joy in sports. All these injuries aren't the same but there is one big one that doesn't seem great.
Kyle Bradish finished 4th in the Cy Young voting last year after having an absolutely incredible season. He turned into an ace right before our eyes. We always knew he was good, but last year he was next level. 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA with 168 Ks in 30 starts. The guy was awesome, especially in the second half and down the stretch. Had a WAR of almost 5 last year and this morning we got hit with the news that he has a "UCL Sprain" in his right elbow, we all know a sprain is a tear and I am gutted. He was going to slot in behind Corbin Burnes as the Orioles #2 with Grayson Rodriguez following. That 1-2-3 is sexual. That is a threesome that is dangerous, well it would have been. He got the dreaded PRP injection that never seems to work and will start the season on the IL. He'll start a throwing program tomorrow but let's be real, I think we know how this ends. You hope and pray the rest and PRP work but I think we just have to accept there is a high chance that Bradish is out for the year and we'll see him in 2025. That is a massive blow, but this is where the Orioles depth comes into play.
The other big injury news was for reigning ROY Gunnar Henderson. He's got some oblique soreness but Mike Elias said it's nothing to be worried about and he will be ready for Opening Day. This I'm not worried about, he had some back stuff last year and only missed a game or 2. I don't see Gunnar as a guy who necessarily needs Spring Training at-bats to get right, he's a monster with or without. Just have to hope it doesn't pop up again. Lettuce pray this is just from normal spring activities and ramping himself up.
Starter John Means who worked his ass off to get back after TJ surgery in 2022 won't be ready for Opening Day as he is a month behind schedule. He had that weird shoulder injury pop up at the end of the season before the playoffs and was left off the roster, a move that shocked us all. They didn't really name an injury? They just said he's a month behind and I read that as the club had him start his offseason stuff a month later due to the injury that he fully healed already. They didn't want to rush him and had him start a month later than he usually would have, hence the month delay and not being ready for Opening Day. He's likely their 3 or 4 when healthy, but again, with Bradish down this could be something to monitor if he is out an extended period of time and can't get back to his old way. Not too worried here but you gotta keep an eye on it.
The final injury news was to MLB top 10 prospects Samuel Basallo. Yes, they have more guys coming. He's an incredible prospect who has shot up prospect rankings the last year, he'll be a stud. He's got a stress fracture in his throwing elbow and will only DH to start. It's a common injury for prospects in his shoes, and to be honest it doesn't matter this year. He isn't going to contribute to the big league club but it sucks this will stunt his development a little. Nothing to see here for 2024.
The Bradish news is obviously the big one, you add a Cy Young winner and lose a guy who was top 4 last year. You have to hope and pray it's not as bad as it seems but I'm already kind of counting him out for the year. There are still guys out there who the O's can grab though. Do they make a trade for Dylan Cease? Do they sign a Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery? Go a few tiers down and sign Mike Clevinger or Michael Lorenzen? There are a few possibilities but maybe they wait to see how Bradish responds to the PRP. Regardless, that thing is gonna tear completely, he's going to try and pitch through it but I think we know how this goes. Just feel bad for a guy who was that good last year and really pitched his ass off. Hope I'm wrong but I don't think we see him until 2025. Hopefully the next few days of Spring Training are a little better than day #2.