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Top Heston Kjerstad News
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Pushing to maintain roster spot
Kjerstad went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit and is now batting .257 (9-for-35) with one home run, six RBI and one stolen base this spring.
The 2020 first-rounder appears to be on track for a bench role to begin 2025, but Kjerstad's most likely pathway to regular at-bats looks to be blocked at the moment by veteran slugger Ryan O'Hearn at designated hitter. With that said, O'Hearn has gone just 4-for-30 with a lone extra-base hit during spring training, and he could start to feel Kjerstad nipping at his heels for work at some point if his struggles carry into the regular season. Kjerstad could be hard-pressed to find reps in the outfield early on, with Colton Cowser going 12-for-31 with two homers, six RBI and two steals in exhibition action.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Inside track on roster spot
Orioles GM Mike Elias noted Thursday that Kjerstad is a frontrunner for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports. "He has earned the right to get at-bats in the corner outfield and at designated hitter, especially against right-handed pitchers," Elias said.
Even after letting Anthony Santander walk in free agency, the Orioles still have a deep stable of options in the outfield and at designated hitter, as Baltimore brought in Tyler O'Neill, Ramon Laureano and Dylan Carlson to join a group that already includes Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Colton Cowser. Cowser and Mullins will handle the bulk of the starts in center field, but Kjerstad looks like he'll have every opportunity to stake his claim to a strong-side platoon role in a corner spot or at DH. Elias said that the Orioles don't necessarily need Kjerstad to have a big spring to secure his roster spot, but a strong showing in the Grapefruit League could certainly help him stand out from the pack. Though his playing time at the big-league level wasn't consistent last season, Kjerstad acquitted himself well in the opportunities he received, slashing .253/.351/.394 with four home runs over 114 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Homers in Sunday's win
Kjerstad hit a solo home run in his lone at-bat during Sunday's 6-2 win over the Twins.
Kjerstad was a defensive replacement in right field and went yard when he came to the plate in the eighth inning. Since returning from a concussion in mid-September, he's gone 7-for-30 (.233) over his last 11 contests of the regular season. Kjerstad posted a .253/.351/.394 slash line, four homers, 14 RBI, eight runs scored and one stolen base over 114 plate appearances. If he makes the Orioles' postseason roster, he'll likely be a bench option.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Likely to lose work to Mountcastle
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
Kjerstad had occupied the designated-hitter spot in each of the previous three games and started five of the past six contests overall, but he'll likely move into more of a part-time role following Ryan Mountcastle's reinstatement from the injured list Tuesday. Mountcastle and O'Hearn will serve as the Orioles' first baseman and designated hitter, respectively, Wednesday and are expected to occupy either lineup spot in some fashion more often than not heading into the postseason.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Three hits in Saturday's loss
Kjerstad went 3-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored in Saturday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to the Tigers.
Over his first five games back from a six-week absence due to a concussion, he went a modest 2-for-12 with two strikeouts. Kjerstad was able to break out Saturday, but it's unlikely to lead to a significant uptick in playing time as the Orioles slowly get healthier. He's slashing .271/.374/.400 with three home runs, 12 RBI, seven runs scored and a stolen base over 99 plate appearances while mainly playing against right-handed pitchers this season.
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Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Filling strong-side platoon role
Kjerstad will start in right field and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Giants.
Kjerstad has now picked up three consecutive starts against right-handed pitchers since the Orioles activated him from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He looks set to hold down the strong side of a platoon with Eloy Jimenez, though both Kjerstad and Jimenez could lose out on at-bats once Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) returns from the injured list.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 220 lbs |
| Birthplace: Amarillo, TX |
| Age: 26 |
| Experience: R |
| Bats/Throws: L, R |