Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Receiving treatment for medical issue
Rotowire
Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Monday that Kjerstad has been undergoing treatments for a medical condition, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad last played at Triple-A Norfolk on July 25 due to what the team had described as fatigue. Elias declined to say whether the treatments were related to myocarditis, a condition Kjerstad was diagnosed with shortly after being drafted in 2020, which delayed his professional debut until 2022. Kjerstad has responded well to the treatments and is expected to be ready for spring training. It's possible Kjerstad's medical issue affected his performance in 2025, as he slashed a woeful .192/.240/.327 in 54 games for the Orioles and an even-worse .149/.225/.248 over 27 contests with Norfolk.
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: On Triple-A IL due to fatigue
Rotowire
Kjerstad is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Norfolk due to fatigue, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Kjerstad has not played since July 25 and is slashing only .149/.225/.248 in 26 games with Norfolk since being optioned in early June. Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino indicated that the team should have more information on Kjerstad's status later this week.
Kjerstad (knee) went 0-for-4 in Sunday's game against Triple-A Memphis.
Kjerstad was out of the lineup for a few days over the weekend after fouling a ball off his right knee, but he's managed to avoid a trip to the 7-day injured list. The Arkansas product was demoted to Triple-A on June 10 and is batting .167 with one home run, two RBI and three runs scored in five games since.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Exits Triple-A contest
Rotowire
Kjerstad exited Thursday's game with Triple-A Norfolk after fouling a ball off his right knee, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Thursday's game was Kjerstad's fourth game with Norfolk since being demoted by Baltimore. He had gone just 2-for-15 with five strikeouts prior to exiting Thursday's game. The severity of the injury is not known.
The Orioles optioned Kjerstad to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old was out of the lineup for each of Baltimore's past three games, and he'll head to the minors Tuesday with Cedric Mullins (hamstring) making his return from the injured list. The Orioles have dealt with a number of injuries in the outfield early this season, but Kjerstad was unable to take advantage with a .192/.240/.327 slash line in 167 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: On bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Kjerstad is hitless in his last 11 at-bats and has struck out four times during that stretch. He'll get the night off Wednesday to reset. Dylan Carlson, Cedric Mullins and Ryan O'Hearn will fill the outfield from left to right.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
Injuries are beginning to mount in the Baltimore outfield with Ramon Laureano (ankle) and Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) joining Colton Cowser (thumb) on the injured list, which has afforded Kjerstad a longer leash in the everyday lineup. However, despite starting each of the last five games, he's recorded just three hits in 20 at-bats to bring his batting average down to .202 on the season. He'll get Sunday off to clear his head while Jorge Mateo spells him in left field.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Taking seat for series opener
Rotowire
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.
Though his playing-time outlook appears to have improved in the wake of Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) returning to the injured list, Kjerstad isn't yet locked back into a regular spot in the lineup versus right-handed pitching. The newly recalled Dylan Carlson will join Ramon Laureano and Cedric Mullins in the outfield in place of Kjerstad, who has gone 3-for-19 at the dish over his last seven games to bring his average down to .211 on the season.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Snaps homer drought Wednesday
Rotowire
Kjerstad went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins.
After drawing a walk as a pinch hitter in the matinee, Kjerstad got the start in right field for the nightcap and crushed a Simeon Woods Richardson fastball to right field in the third inning, snapping a 17-game homer drought in the process. Kjerstad has struggled to make a consistent contribution in the majors this season, and through 99 plate appearances he has a .212/.262/.364 slash line with four home runs and 14 RBI.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Idle against righty
Rotowire
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Twins.
Though he has been playing fairly regularly versus right-handed pitching since Colton Cowser (thumb) landed on the injured list in late March, Kjerstad will hit the bench for the second time in the Orioles' last three matchups with righties while Bailey Ober toes the rubber for Minnesota. With Kjerstad producing a .573 OPS on the season and with Tyler O'Neill recently returning from the IL to make the Baltimore outfield more crowded, Kjerstad could be at risk of ceding playing time to Ramon Laureano, who has supplied a .746 OPS through 29 games.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Retreats to bench against lefty
Rotowire
Kjerstad is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Though he was included in the lineup the last time the Orioles faced a lefty starter (Kris Bubic) on May 3, the lefty-hitting Kjerstad will retreat to the bench Sunday while southpaw Tyler Anderson takes the hill for the Angels. With Tyler O'Neill (neck) returning from the injured list Friday and likely to fill a full-time role in the corner outfield moving forward, Kjerstad could be deployed in a platoon at the other corner spot with the right-handed-hitting Ramon Laureano until Colton Cowser (thumb) returns from the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Kjerstad is not in the Orioles' starting lineup against the Angels on Friday, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.
Kjerstad will begin Friday's game in the dugout while the returning Tyler O'Neill (neck) joins Cedric Mullins and Ramon Laureano in the outfield. Kjerstad started in the Orioles' last seven games, going 7-for-24 (.292) with one stolen base and one RBI over that span.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Absent from lineup against lefty
Rotowire
Kjerstad is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.
With lefty Carlos Rodon on the bump for the Yankees, the left-handed hitting Kjerstad will yield to switch hitter Dylan Carlson in left field. Kjerstad is 2-for-17 against lefties this season.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Back in action Tuesday
Rotowire
Kjerstad (elbow) is starting in left field and batting sixth Tuesday against the Nationals, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
The 26-year-old sustained the elbow bruise Saturday against the Reds and sat out Sunday's contest, but he's good to go following the Orioles' team day off Monday. Kjerstad has enjoyed a hot start to the campaign and has a .261/.300/.500 slash line with three homers, 12 RBI and nine runs in 18 games.
... See More... See Less
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Not in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Kjerstad (elbow) isn't in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Cincinnati, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad was lifted in the third inning of Saturday's contest after getting hit in the elbow by a Hunter Greene fastball. X-rays came back negative, so Kjerstad may have escaped a serious injury. Baltimore doesn't play Monday and next hits the road for a series in Washington beginning Tuesday.
8:58
12:52
9:04
0:38
1:33
8:56
1:02
9:12
10:13
11:48
1:35
0:50
1:42
1:44
9:33
2:24
1:04
1:20
1:54
1:09
