Heston Kjerstad Fantasy Stats

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad (knee) was removed from the Triple-A Norfolk game after fouling a ball off his right knee, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports. Thursday's game was Kjerstad's fourth game with Norfolk since being demoted, and he went just 2-for-15 with five strikeouts before exiting Thursday's game. The severity of the injury is unknown, and the Orioles will likely provide an update on Friday or Saturday. It's been a rough season for Kjerstad, slashing .192/.240/.327 in 167 plate appearances at the MLB level in 2025, and now injuring himself in Triple-A after getting demoted. The former second overall pick in 2020 will hope for good news and look to get things heading in the right direction.

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Tuesday that they optioned outfielder Heston Kjerstad to Triple-A Norfolk and reinstated outfielder Cedric Mullins (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Kjerstad gets caught in a roster crunch with Baltimore's outfield getting healthy. The 26-year-old former second overall pick in 2020 out of Arkansas has not been able to carve out a regular role with the team since debuting in 2023. In 54 games this year, he went 30-for-156 (.192) with four home runs, five doubles, two triples, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored, a steal, six walks and 45 strikeouts in 167 plate appearances. Kjerstad has a .218/.284/.365 slash line, .649 OPS, 10 homers, 36 RBI and 88 strikeouts in 106 games played at the big-league level since 2023. He has hit the ball hard, but he's just not making enough contact.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad is not in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Jorge Mateo is getting a rare start in left field and will bat ninth against Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler. Kjerstad has been playing regularly for the struggling Orioles due to injuries to Colton Cowser (thumb), Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) and Ramon Laureano (ankle), but he hasn't taken advantage of the extra opportunities and is hitting just .205/.252/.328 on the year with four home runs, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored and a steal in 122 at-bats. The former second overall pick in 2020 out of Arkansas has also gone 5-for-32 (.156) with a homer, two RBI and eight K's in 11 games since May 8. Mateo has speed (seven steals) but is hitting .205 (8-for-39) with no homers this year. He's a low-upside DFS sleeper on Sunday against a pitcher he's never faced.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad (elbow) is starting in left field and is batting sixth on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals and left-hander Mitchell Parker at Nationals Park. Kjerstad will be available for the series opener against the Nats after sitting on Sunday following a bruised elbow that he suffered on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. While Kjerstad has been swinging the bat well early in the season for the O's, fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere in DFS while he faces a left-hander on Tuesday. He's gone 2-for-7 against southpaws early on, but all three of his home runs and all but one of his 12 RBI this year have come against right-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old outfielder enters Tuesday's contest slashing .261/.300/.500 with three homers, 12 RBI and nine runs scored in his first 18 games for Baltimore.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad (elbow) was forced to exit early during Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Kjerstad was pulled out of the contest after getting hit in the elbow by a pitch from Hunter Greene in the first inning. The X-rays were negative and the team is calling the injury right elbow discomfort. For now, Kjerstad should be considered day-to-day, but the expectation is that he'll undergo further evaluation. Ramon Laureano took over on Saturday and figures to see more playing time if Kjerstad is forced to miss time.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad turned in a productive game in a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Kjerstad went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and a walk in the winning effort. The 26-year-old outfielder plated the final two runs of the game with a 400-foot two-run homer off Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee in the sixth inning. Kjerstad is now hitting .233 with two homers, eight runs, and 10 RBI across 43 at-bats in the first month of the season.

Per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad is set for more playing time against right-handed pitchers in the absence of teammate Colton Cowser (thumb). Cowser recently fractured his thumb sliding for a base and is expected to miss six to eight weeks while he recovers. In the meantime, Kjerstad will slot in against righties while fellow outfielders Ramon Laureano and Dylan Carlson will get some run against lefties. Kjerstad -- a former first-round pick -- tore up minor league pitching at every stop since joining the organization in 2022 but hasn't been able to put it together in the majors just yet. He'll get an extended look with Cowser on the mend.

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias sees outfielder Heston Kjerstad as a front-runner for an Opening Day roster spot this year. "He's has earned the right to get at-bats in the corner outfield and at designated hitter, especially against right-handed pitchers," Elias said. Anthony Santander left in free agency, but the O's added outfielders Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Ramon Laureano and also have Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, and Ryan O'Hearn. Still, the 26-year-old Kjerstad should see plenty of playing time against right-handed pitchers, either in a corner outfield spot or at designated hitter. He has nothing left to prove in the minors. In the big leagues, he's struck out nearly 30% of the time but also has a 46.5% hard-hit rate. With more playing time, Kjerstad is certainly worth a bench spot for outfield depth in deep-mixed fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad (concussion) begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with High-A Aberdeen and has gone 2-for-5 with a walk and a run scored in his first two games. On Sunday, Kjerstad went 2-for-2 with a run and a walk before being replaced in right field. The 25-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder served as the designated hitter in his first rehab appearance on Saturday. Kjerstad has been away from the Orioles since suffering a concussion in late July. It's a good sign that he's now playing in games again, but it's unknown how long he'll be on a rehab assignment before being an option to rejoin Baltimore's big-league roster as outfield depth to close out the 2024 regular season. There's a very realistic chance that Kjerstad is sent to Triple-A Norfolk, instead of the majors, once he's finished with his rehab assignment.

After initially being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk late last week, the Baltimore Orioles placed rookie outfielder Heston Kjerstad (concussion) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 1) on Wednesday due to a concussion. It's the second time this year that Kjerstad has been on the IL due to a concussion, which is pretty concerning. After coming off his first stint on the IL on July 20, the 25-year-old had just two hits in 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts, and it appears he still hasn't fully recovered from his head injury. Head injuries are pretty serious, so there will be no timetable for his return to action at Norfolk, let alone in the big leagues again with the Orioles in 2024. Kjerstad has hit .261 (18-for-69) with three homers and 12 RBI in just 28 games for the O's this year, and given Baltimore's crowded outfield picture, there's no clear path to playing time the rest of the way if he gets past his concussion symptoms.