This story was excerpted from Jake Rill¡¯s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Heston Kjerstad¡¯s initial 13-game stint in the big leagues last season provided a four-week period of his life he¡¯ll never forget.

On Sept. 14, the Orioles called up the 24-year-old Kjerstad (the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 24 overall prospect) to provide some left-handed pop during their stretch run. Baltimore went on to win the American League East title for the first time since 2014, finishing with a 101-61 record and making its first postseason appearance since ¡®16.

Among the most memorable moments of the Orioles¡¯ postseason-clinching celebration on Sept. 17 was Kjerstad -- four days into his MLB career -- getting dumped into a laundry cart by teammates and sprayed with champagne and kitchen condiments, a belated celebration of his first big league home run that came in a loss two nights earlier.

¡°The way I put it to a lot of people is: Everything I thought it was going to be, it was 100 times better,¡± Kjerstad said of his first taste of the Majors during a recent interview with MLB Pipeline¡¯s Jonathan Mayo. ¡°Everything you could have dreamed up in your head or thought you were going to experience, it was way better than I even thought it would be.¡±

Kjerstad didn¡¯t get a ton of opportunities to showcase his potent bat, getting 33 scattered plate appearances over the final weeks of the regular season. The outfielder played only 21 2/3 innings on defense. And although he was included on Baltimore¡¯s 26-man postseason roster, he never made an appearance in the AL Division Series as the team got swept by Texas, 3-0.

In 2024, Kjerstad should have a bigger role for the Orioles. But first, he¡¯ll need to try to win an Opening Day roster spot during Spring Training.

Baltimore¡¯s starting outfield will again be composed of Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander. With Aaron Hicks departing via free agency, though, there¡¯s going to be playing time available in the outfield rotation.

The candidates for the role of fourth outfielder will include Kjerstad, Colton Cowser (the O¡¯s No. 2 prospect), Kyle Stowers, Sam Hilliard and Ryan McKenna. It remains possible that the Orioles could sign a veteran free-agent outfielder, but it¡¯s not a necessity because of their depth.

¡°I knew going into [last] year if I could perform the way I did in the [Arizona] Fall League and perform the way I¡¯m capable of, or to the standard I hold myself to,¡± Kjerstad said, ¡°I should have a really good shot of making the big league team to help them out.¡±

The same will be true heading into 2024, especially because Kjerstad has raked everywhere he¡¯s been since the aforementioned ¡®22 AFL campaign.

Look at the offensive numbers Kjerstad has put up dating back to October 2022:

Arizona Fall League (22 games): .357/.385/.622 with nine doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs
Spring Training (23 games): .381/.409/.810 with four doubles, four homers and nine RBIs
Double-A Bowie (46 games): .310/.384/.576 with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 23 RBIs
Triple-A Norfolk (76 games): .298/.371/.498 with 19 doubles, 10 homers and 32 RBIs
Major Leagues (13 games): .233/.281/.467 with one double, two homers and three RBIs

Because of his prowess with the bat, Kjerstad should be factored into Baltimore¡¯s rotation at designated hitter. But the club remains confident he can be involved with his glove, too. General manager Mike Elias doesn¡¯t foresee a full-time move to first base (where Kjerstad worked sporadically in 2023), but rather more reps in the outfield.

¡°He¡¯s a good defender in right field in the dimensions in Camden Yards,¡± Elias said at the Winter Meetings in December. ¡°He¡¯s not a center fielder, but with the stick he brings, it profiles well in the corner outfield, and I think right field is a good spot for him. He can throw well, too.¡±

Whether Kjerstad¡¯s next big league game is March 28 (Opening Day vs. the Angels at Camden Yards) or later in the year, he¡¯s eager for more big league baseball. His brief time in Baltimore late last season likely only whetted his appetite.

¡°Really exciting, really fun to be a part of it. And luckily, a really great clubhouse to come into,¡± Kjerstad said. ¡°Everybody brings you in, they just want you to help the team in any way you can and just give it your all.¡±