Orioles’ Henderson wins AL ROY unanimously
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson was named American League Rookie of the Year on Monday, garnering all 30 first-place votes and becoming the first Orioles player to win the award since closer Gregg Olson in 1989.
The 22-year-old Henderson, who helped lead the Orioles to a 101-61 season and an AL East title, rode a combination of power and smooth defense to the award.
Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee finished second and Boston first baseman Triston Casas third. Henderson was the 13th unanimous selection in AL history and the first since Seattle’s Kyle Lewis in 2020.
Because Henderson started the season in the major leagues and was ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball, the Orioles will receive an additional first-round pick in 2024 as part of the Prospect Promotion Incentive in the collective bargaining agreement.
Henderson debuted toward the end of the 2022 season, falling just 14 at-bats shy of exhausting his rookie eligibility. He had rocketed through Baltimore’s system after signing for $2.3 million as a second-round pick out of high school in Selma, Alabama.
After spending most of the first half of the season as Baltimore’s third baseman, Henderson shifted to shortstop — his natural position — in the second half and paired with Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman to form perhaps the best young duo in baseball. Among shortstops, only Corey Seager and Francisco Lindor — both of whom have contracts of $325 million or greater — hit more home runs than Henderson’s 28. Henderson also drove in 82 runs and scored 100.
The 24-year-old Bibee, who joined the Guardians in late April, finished the season 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA — the fourth lowest in the AL among starters with at least 140 innings. A fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Bibee joined right-hander Gavin Williams and left-hander Logan Allen as one of the best trios of rookie starting pitchers on one team in baseball history.
Bibee received 20 second-place votes and appeared on 27 of 30 ballots.
Casas, 23, beat a crowded field for third place. His 24 home runs ranked second behind Henderson among AL rookies, and his .367 on-base percentage was behind three Minnesota Twins: Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner. Casas beat out Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung for third place.
Others who received votes included Houston catcher Yainer Diaz, Boston outfielder Masataka Yoshida, Julien and New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who won the Gold Glove last week.
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Alden Gonzalez
The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, called up their top prospect Bryce Eldridge, the team announced Monday.
Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly fill the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list because of a hamstring strain over the weekend.
The 16th pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.
The Giants were using Rafael Devers at first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will be playoff eligible.
After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final National League wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.
PITTSBURGH — The Chicago Cubs activated right-hander Michael Soroka from the 15-day injured list before Monday night’s game against Pittsburgh.
Soroka will be used as a reliever. The Cubs acquired Soroka from Washington at the trade deadline and planned to use him as a starter.
However, Soroka pitched just two innings in his Cubs debut against Cincinnati on Aug. 4 and left because of a right shoulder strain. Soroka made a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa and allowed one run in 2⅓ innings.
Soroka is 3-8 this season with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts.
Right-hander Ben Brown was optioned to Iowa in a corresponding move. He is 5-8 with a 5.92 ERA in 25 games, including 15 starts.
Cubs closer Daniel Palencia threw off the mound for the first time since going on the IL on Sept. 8 because of a right shoulder strain. He has converted 22 of 25 save opportunities and has a 3.00 ERA in 52 games.
Designated hitter Seiya Suzuki was not in the lineup Monday because of bronchitis.
The Cubs hold the first wild-card position in the National League.
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Alden Gonzalez
The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, are calling up top prospect Bryce Eldrige, a source confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly take on the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list with a hamstring strain over the weekend.
The 16th overall pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.
The Giants had been using Rafael Devers at both first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will seemingly take on Smith’s role for the stretch run, while hoping to push the Giants toward an unlikely playoff spot.
After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and currently trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported Eldridge’s callup.
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