Baltimore Orioles Call Up Top Prospect Gunnar Henderson

The Baltimore Orioles announced Wednesday morning that they will be calling up their no. 1 prospect, infielder Gunnar Henderson. Henderson is the no. 2 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. In a pair of corresponding roster moves, the O's optioned infielder Tyler Nevin to Triple-A Norfolk and designated right-handed pitcher Denyi Reyes for assignment.

The Baltimore Orioles may have been passive at the Major League Baseball trade deadline earlier this month, but Wednesday they will be calling on what could be a very high-impact reinforcement in the thick of a tight playoff race.

Wednesday morning, the Orioles announced that they will be calling up their no. 1 prospect, and the no. 2 prospect in all of baseball on MLB.com's prospect rankings list.

Infielder Gunnar Henderson will soon be making his highly-anticipated Major League debut. Baseball's no. 2 prospect has opted to wear no. 2 with the O's big league club.

Adding another piece to the puzzle 🧩 pic.twitter.com/e3we7xHemr

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 31, 2022

The Orioles selected Henderson in the second round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of John T. Morgan Academy, a private high school in Selma, Alabama.

Henderson, 21, quickly ascended through the Orioles' pipeline, despite having to miss an entire season in 2020, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 wiping out minor league baseball that season.

MLB.com grades Henderson as a 60 power, 60 hit, 55 run, 65 arm, 50 field and 65 overall.

Henderson has excelled in both Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season. In 47 games in Double-A, he slashed .312/.452/1.025 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

In 65 games at the Triple-A level, Henderson slashed .288/.390/.946 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

The Orioles deemed that Henderson has nothing more to prove at the minor league level and is ready for the show.

Henderson is a natural shortstop, but also played third base, second base and first base in his Triple-A stint this season.

Last week, MLB.com ranked the Orioles' farm system as the best in baseball.

The Athletic's Dan Connolly is reporting that in a pair of corresponding roster moves, the Orioles have optioned infielder Tyler Nevin to Triple-A Norfolk and designated right-handed pitcher Denyi Reyes for assignment.

It’s official. Gunnar Henderson is up. The Orioles have: Selected the contract of INF Gunnar Henderson from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 2 and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.
- Optioned INF Tyler Nevin to Norfolk.
- DFA’d RHP Denyi Reyes

— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) August 31, 2022

The Orioles play the Guardians in Cleveland Wednesday night at 6:10 p.m. ET.