Kjerstad positioned for expanded role in Orioles' OF as camp kicks off
Plus, Elias opens camp with injury updates, Holliday's added muscle
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillSARASOTA, Fla. -- After two years of sporadic big league playing time and extra seasoning in the Minors, Heston Kjerstad has waited his turn to get an expanded role with the Orioles.
That time appears to have arrived.
On the first day of Spring Training workouts at Ed Smith Stadium on Thursday, Baltimore general manager Mike Elias stated that Kjerstad is a front-runner for a 26-man roster spot this spring. The 26-year-old former top prospect has never broken camp with the O¡¯s, but he could be heading north with the MLB club in six weeks¡¯ time.
¡°This is a big opportunity for him,¡± Elias said. ¡°I think he¡¯s kind of earned the right to get a lot of at-bats in the corner outfield and in the DH spot, specifically against right-handed pitching. But long term, this guy when we took him, he was one of the best hitters in college baseball, and he can hit left-handed pitching.¡±
Selected out of the University of Arkansas with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Kjerstad¡¯s professional career was delayed due to myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). He has since torn up the Minor Leagues, especially while at Triple-A Norfolk, where he owns a .299/.382/.541 slash line with 26 home runs in 132 games over the past two seasons.
Kjerstad got an initial 13-game taste of the Majors in 2023, when he also was included on the Orioles¡¯ roster for the American League Division Series vs. the Rangers, though he did not play. Last year, he hit .253 with four homers and a .745 OPS over 39 games for Baltimore, missing much of the second half due to a concussion that led to two stints on the injured list.
It was quite telling that Elias doesn¡¯t even think Kjerstad needs to put up big Spring Training stats to push his way onto the big league team.
¡°I don¡¯t know that he needs to tear the cover off the ball in the Grapefruit League,¡± Elias said. ¡°We¡¯ve seen him do that already. He¡¯s played pretty well in a limited opportunity at the Major League level. He¡¯s played really well in the Minors.¡±
With the switch-hitting Anthony Santander now in Toronto, Kjerstad could help replace some of the lost left-handed power. Kjerstad, Cedric Mullins and Colton Cowser are the lefty hitters in an outfield mix that also includes righties Tyler O¡¯Neill and Ram¨®n Laureano and switch-hitting Dylan Carlson.
Because Carlson has Minor League options remaining, the Opening Day roster could feature all five of the other outfielders in that group, including Kjerstad.
¡°He¡¯s going to get a ton of at-bats here in spring,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said of Kjerstad. ¡°He¡¯s put up huge Triple-A numbers, and there¡¯s opportunity now. There¡¯s a little bit more opportunity than in the past."
Injury news -- but not a ton
As per tradition, Elias opened his first media scrum of the spring with a list of injury updates. Fortunately for the O¡¯s, he had much less to share than in 2024, when he announced Kyle Bradish¡¯s right UCL sprain among several other new ailments.
Here¡¯s all the news that Elias delivered:
- Left-hander Trevor Rogers sustained a right knee subluxation in January. The 27-year-old (who was a longshot to make the team) is ¡°weeks behind,¡± per Elias, and won¡¯t be ready to pitch by the start of the 2025 season.
- All-Star closer F¨¦lix Bautista (Tommy John surgery) remains on track with his recovery. The 29-year-old likely won¡¯t pitch in Grapefruit League games until late in the spring -- he¡¯ll do most of his work on the backfields -- but he has a ¡°very good chance¡± of being on the Opening Day roster, according to Elias.
- Infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo (left elbow surgery) is in a ¡°great spot¡± with his hitting progression and is playing catch, but Elias added Mateo won¡¯t play Grapefruit League games until ¡°very, very late¡± in camp and is unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster.
- Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano has not yet reported to camp due to a visa issue.
- Right-hander Zach Eflin isn¡¯t in camp yet because his wife, Lauren, recently gave birth to a baby boy, their fourth child.
An even bigger Holliday
Last spring, Jackson Holliday reported to camp with added muscle. The 21-year-old infielder looks even bigger this year:
¡°He still looks really young,¡± Hyde joked. ¡°But yeah, physically, his strength is impressive, how he can drive the baseball. He¡¯s in great shape right now.¡±