At 19-34 and in last place in the American League East standings, the Baltimore Orioles are not off to the start they envisioned at the beginning of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
One of their players performing up to standards is shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who began the season at Triple-A Norfolk after suffering a right intercostal strain during spring training. Henderson is widely considered one of the best middle infielders in baseball and has a .266/.328/.457 slash line with a 127 OPS+ in 46 games this year.
Henderson’s power stroke, which helped him hit 37 home runs in 2024, could be a key attribute for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. That depends on whether the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year receives an invitation to play for returning manager Mark DeRosa, who led the United States to the championship game in the 2023 edition of the international baseball tournament.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Henderson expressed his desire to don the red, white, and blue next March, when Team USA will begin WBC play in Pool B at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, the home stadium of MLB’s Houston Astros.
“Yeah, I mean, anytime you have the chance to do that [play in WBC] is pretty special,” Henderson said in the video interview with TMZ Sports this past Friday. “So that’s something I definitely look forward to and hopefully can do one day in the future.”
Henderson responded with a blunt “Not yet” when asked if Team USA’s representatives had reached out about an opportunity.
Henderson faces stiff competition for Team USA’s starting shortstop job. Other MLB players who are potential candidates include the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies, Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers, and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, Betts can still join the team as an outfielder if DeRosa and his staff decide to appoint another player as shortstop.
Turner was given the nickname “Captain America” after blasting five home runs in the 2023 WBC, tying a record set by Korea’s Lee Seung-youp in 2006, the first edition of the tournament.
Team USA has received commitments from Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who will captain a hungry squad seeking redemption after a 3-2 loss to Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan in the 2023 title game.
Competing in Pool B with the United States will be Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, and Brazil. The action will take place at Daikin Park from March 6 to 11, and the championship at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 17 will follow the quarterfinals and semifinals.
