Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson will begin the season on the injured list, general manager Mike Elias announced Sunday.

Henderson, 23, is under one month removed from sustaining the strained intercostal muscle that knocked him out of Grapefruit League games on Feb. 27.

“It’s definitely something we don’t want to linger into the season and throughout the season,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said recently. “You want to make sure that’s free and clear. He’s so important to us. We want to make sure he’s right and he’s not playing through any sort of injury or soreness the first part of the season.”

Henderson played 159 games and was a first-time All-Star in 2024 with 37 home runs, 31 doubles, 92 RBIs and an OPS of .893. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2023.

He has batted .268 with 69 homers and 192 RBIs in 343 career games with Baltimore.