Top Gunnar

 

For much of the 2026 season, the Baltimore Orioles and Gunnar Henderson have been living in the danger zone, languishing near the bottom of a brutal AL East division. After winning an AL-best 101 games in 2023, graduating numerous top prospects and signing big ticket free agent Pete Alonso this offseason, the Orioles’ ego was writing checks their bodies couldn’t cash and it resulted in what was looking like another disappointing season. However, after sweeping the Athletics this weekend, Baltimore sits just one game out of the final Wild Card spot and they can thank Henderson for their 8-5 win on Sunday. The 25-year old superstar went 4-4 with 2 HRs, 3B, 3 R and 5 RBI and added several stunning defensive plays to help his team pull within one game of .500.

While he has already eclipsed his HR total from last season, Henderson’s .223/.307/.408 line is a far cry from his 2025 line of .274/.349/.438 and isn’t close to his breakout 2024 season when he hit .281/.364/.529 with 37 HRs and 92 RBI. In that breakout season, Henderson had a 53.9 Hard-Hit% (97th percentile) and an excellent 23.2 Chase % (84th percentile). This year he is well off those numbers with a 44.4 Hard-Hit% (71st percentile) and a 30.5 Chase % (43rd percentile). With about 14 teams vying for that final AL Wild Card spot, the Orioles will need to continue to play their best baseball to find themselves in the postseason. More performances like Sunday’s from Henderson will make that goal a whole lot easier to achieve.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did on Sunday:

 

Heliot Ramos (NYY): 2-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.

Deadline acquisition Heliot Ramos got on base in all four plate appearances on Sunday, including a three-run, fifth inning HR, that broke the game open as the Yankees stomped Boston 16-1. The homer was Ramos’ first as a Yankee and he had hit just .119 over his last 59 at-bats. Despite his struggles, New York has won 10 of their last 14 games and are gaining steam heading into the final month of the season.

 

José Caballero (NYY): 3-5, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.

José Caballero celebrated his 30th birthday with his 13th HR of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth (albeit off a position player) in the blowout win. The 13 homers are a career-high for Caballero, who had hit a total of 18 home runs in 986 MLB at-bats prior to this season.

Austin Wells (NYY): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

Austin Wells didn’t enter Sunday’s game until the sixth inning, when he hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, but he had an eighth inning he will never forget. The Yankees’ catcher hit a two-run HR off reliever Jiovani Moran and followed it up later in the inning with another two-run HR off position player Andruw Monasterio. Wells has really struggled at the plate this season (.184/.277/.316), but now he is one of just 68 players to hit two HRs in the same inning.

 

Chase DeLauter (CLE): 4-4, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI.

Chase DeLauter continued his impressive rookie season by going a perfect 4-4 with two doubles as the Guardians plastered the Royals 11-1. The James Madison University alum has been an on-base machine, especially over hist last 15 games when he’s slashed .392/.446/.588.

 

José Ramírez (CLE): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

33-year old José Ramírez has endured a difficult season by his standards, mostly hampered by injuries. But he has started to turn in on of late, knocking in four runs and hitting his 11th HR of the season on Sunday. Ramirez is hitting .345/.375/.586 over his last seven games.

 

Freddie Freeman (LAD): 2-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 BB.

Freddie Freeman got on-base in all four plate appearances on Sunday and the Dodgers took down Framber Valdez and the Tigers 6-1. The power has disappeared from Freeman’s game as he hasn’t hit a HR in his last 30 games, but he is slashing .316/.365/.360 in that span.

Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, HBP.

Injuries have plagued Teoscar Hernández during the 2026 season, but the 33-year old came through with a go-ahead two-run HR in the sixth inning of Los Angeles’ win on Sunday. We know what Hernandez is capable of in the playoffs so look out if he gets hot over the last month of the season.

 

Luke Keaschall (MIN): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.

The Twins jumped on the White Sox early and Luke Keaschall’s seventh inning HR sealed the 5-1 win for Minnesota. The 24-year old came into the season with high expectations, but came out of the gates slumping. Keaschall has shown marked improvements over the last month, hitting .315/.386/.523 with five HRs, as the Twins now sit four games out of a Wild Card spot.

 

Ezequiel Duran (TEX): 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI.

The Texas Rangers are also firmly in the Wild Card hunt, thanks to a big day out of Ezequiel Duran. The utility man hit his 15th HR of the season in the third inning off Brewers starter Dustin May and finished the day with three RBI as the Rangers held on for a 7-4 victory.