Orioles Recalling Former Second-Overall Pick Heston Kjerstad For Bench Role In Playoff Push

The Orioles are adding outfielder Heston Kjerstad as rosters expand in September, according to reports, giving him his first taste of MLB since last June and doing so at a time when his exposure could be quite limited.

Baltimore has a glut of outfielders right now, having just adding Luis Robert Jr. on waivers and with youngsters Dylan Beavers and Colton Cowser in good form all around (Cowser saved Monday's game by robbing a homer). Leody Taveras provides much better defense and a switch-hitting bat with speed and recent-acquisition Christian Franklin has been getting a look lately too.

With Pete Alonso dealing with a calf injury he has been primarily a designated hitter lately, perhaps taking away that opportunity, and lefty Samuel Basallo tends to DH when he doesn't catch. The Orioles can carry 14 hitters and 14 pitchers at this point and have yet to announce this move, or any corresponding moves. According to MLB.com reliever Luis De Leon will also be promoted from Norfolk, joining the Orioles roster for the first time.

Kjerstad was selected second overall in 2020 but has dealt with major injury issues, he has bigtime swing-and-miss tendencies and he is not a capable outfielder in any spot. The fact he was not recalled all season to this point before rosters expanded – despite this being a bottom 10 lineup much of the season – speaks to how fall he has fallen, but he is a left-handed power option off the bench and at this point there isn’t much of a charade about him having a future in Baltimore beyond that sort of role.

Time Not On His Side

Kjerstad will be 28 when spring training starts (if there is a spring training given the labor situation), he has just 285 MLB at bats and none since June 6, 2025 and just 167 total plate appearances in 2025-2026 at a time the major league lineup has been the biggest disappointment in baseball two years running. Had the Orioles not claimed Robert, an athletic centerfield, off waivers from the Mets, perhaps they would have leaned into another former first-round pick outfielder, Enrique Bradfield Jr. as the extra position player.

Since July 1 Kjerstad has a .301/.366/.523 slash (.889 OPS), with eight homers and 27 driven in over 45 games at Norfolk. Kjerstad has played an astonishing 238 games for the Norfolk Tides, with an .834 OPS at that level, so remaining there was offering nothing to his development at this point. In MLB he has a career slash of: .218/.284/.356 and has some of the same pronounced issues hitting offspeed and breaking balls as much of this lineup, which explains some of its struggles since peaking around June 2024.

The Orioles have returned to .500 for the first time in four months and bring just their second winning streak of four games or more into play Tuesday at Colorado following a 2-1 win, Monday. They are 6-1 on this nine-game road trip and half a game out of the final Wild Card spot, taking advantage of weaker opponents. But the Red Sox and Guardians loom when the O's get back home this week, featuring far superior arms to what the Orioles have faced lately.

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