He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.

Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Hendriks began playing tee-ball when he was five (rather than the traditional Australian summer game of cricket), before transitioning to baseball at the age of ten.

[1][2] Hendriks continued playing both baseball and football through high school at Sacred Heart College, Sorrento.

[4] In 2008 Hendriks pitched for Perth Heat in their successful Australian Claxton Shield series and went 3–0 with a 1.90 ERA and 25 strikeouts, a competition high.

After starting the season posting seven scoreless innings over three outings, Hendriks endured a rough second half, ending up 1-4 with a 6.49 ERA in eight total games.

[5] He pitched for the Perth Heat in the 2008 Claxton Shield and went 3–0 with a 1.90 earned run average (ERA) and 25 strikeouts, a competition high.

Hendriks was then added to the Australian national team for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament pitching five innings of work while only allowing one unearned run alongside two hits and a walk while striking out six.

Hendriks started the game and allowed 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and struck out 3 over 52⁄3 innings.

[16] Hendriks was called up on 20 June to start against the Cincinnati Reds, and was sent back down to Buffalo the following day after he pitched only 12⁄3 innings and surrendered 6 earned runs.

[17] Hendriks was named as the starter for the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game after posting a 7–1 record with a 2.19 ERA in 16 starts.

[7] On 28 July 2014, Hendriks, along with Erik Kratz, was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Danny Valencia.

After starter R. A. Dickey gave up five runs, Hendriks entered in as the long reliever and pitched 41⁄3 scoreless innings from the second to the sixth and finished with 13 outs from 12 batters faced, breaking the playoff record for more-outs-than-batters-faced performances.

Jim Lindsey previously held the mark with eight outs from seven batters faced in 1930, while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.

[24] Hendriks was pulled in the seventh inning in what was a criticized move and relievers LaTroy Hawkins and Ryan Tepera surrendered seven runs, and with the bullpen depleted at that point, position player Cliff Pennington pitched the final outs as the Blue Jays lost 14-2.

In 2019, Hendriks took over as the Athletics' closer after an injury to Blake Treinen and made his first career All-Star Game, as a replacement for Charlie Morton.

[34] Hendriks earned the save in the 2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver, won 5-2 by the American League.

On 12 August 2021, Hendriks was the first winning pitcher in Iowa during the Field of Dreams game despite blowing a save opportunity when the White Sox were up 7-4 in the top of the ninth.

In the first game of the season against the Tigers with the White Sox up 4–3, Hendriks allowed a game-tying homerun to Eric Haase with one out in the bottom of the ninth, giving him a blown save.

He pitched a third of the eighth inning, inducing Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud to pop out to Seattle Mariners rookie center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

Hendriks managed to make five game appearances before being added to the Injured List for elbow inflammation on 11 June.

[41] In September, Hendriks was named as the Red Sox' nominee for MLB's annual Roberto Clemente Award.

[citation needed] On 9 February 2017, he was selected for the 2017 World Baseball Classic,[43] but opted not to participate in the first round, where Australia were eventually knocked out.

[45] Through his wife, Hendriks became a Montreal Canadiens fan, saying in an interview with NHL Network in 2020 that he's "watched every game" and has "embraced the Habs lifestyle".