Orioles to recall outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk
HOUSTON — The Orioles plan to recall outfielder Heston Kjerstad, one of their top prospects, from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday ahead of the team’s series against the Cleveland Guardians, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
Kjerstad, 25, will join the Orioles for his second MLB stint this season and third of his young career. The 2020 No. 2 overall pick has hit .205 with two home runs in 20 games in the big leagues but owns a lifetime .918 OPS at Triple-A. Kjerstad is slashing .300/.397/.601 with a .998 OPS and 16 home runs in 56 games for the Tides this season but had just three homers and a .250 batting average in June. It’s not clear what the corresponding roster move will be.
Kjerstad appeared in only seven games in his first stint in Baltimore this season despite Austin Hays landing on the injured list at the same time. The Orioles sent him back down to Triple-A on May 13 and brought up Kyle Stowers to replace him, but Stowers got the same treatment, playing sparsely as a pinch hitter and occasional starter in the corner outfield.
Kjerstad, who was ejected from Sunday’s game for Norfolk, joins an Orioles roster that has a fully healthy outfield, leaving his path to playing time murky once again. If he does start to get regular at-bats, they might come at the expense of Colton Cowser. Both rookies hit left-handed and Cowser has scuffled of late, hitting .181 over his past 45 games heading into play Sunday.
Baseball America recently listed Kjerstad as the No. 23 overall prospect in its latest rankings update. He was among the Orioles’ final roster cuts in spring training this year, starting out slow in Grapefruit League play before a late push over the final two weeks. He ultimately landed in Norfolk, where he has joined other top prospects such as Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby and Stowers waiting their turns to join the big league club.
The Baltimore Banner was the first to report the move.
Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article.