If there was a word to describe the 2024 Baltimore Orioles season, it would be: injuries. The team has lost nearly all of their starting pitching, and now the injuries in the field are on the rise too. In just the last two months, the team has lost Jorge Mateo, Ramon Urias, Ryan Mountcastle, and arguably the most underrated of them all, Heston Kjerstad. Kjerstad suffered a concussion after being hit in the head by a fastball against the Yankees on July 12th. Kjerstad had provided power and clutch hits with the team before injury, and the O’s will look to him for more when he comes back.
Kjerstad is joining the club in Detroit prior to their rubber match game against the Tigers today. It’s been a very rough offensive series for the Birds. Detroit pitching staff took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and were one out away before Gunnar Henderson’s triple with two outs and two strikes. Anthony Santander came up to the plate with the tying run 90 feet away but proceeded to strike out swinging to end the game 1-0. Saturday was a step in the right direction, as the O’s won 4-2 behind a 2-for-3 day for Gunnar Henderson. The red-hot Cedric Mullins also had a 2-for-3 day with an RBI, and James McCann drove in a run via a sac fly in the seventh.
Since the Orioles recalled him from AAA on June 24, Kjerstad batted .291 with three home runs, and 12 RBIs in 21 games. He had the best game of his career on June 29th against the Texas Rangers. Down 2-1 in the fifth inning, Kjerstad came up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs. Kjerstad took a Michael Lorenzen fastball and deposited it into the right field seats for his first career grand slam. The O’s needed every single run on that homer, as they won the game 6-5.
Kjerstad seemed to be finding his rhythm with consistent playing time before being beaned in the head by a Clay Holmes fastball on July 12th. The hit by pitch lead to the benches clearing in a frustrating 4-1 O’s loss. Baltimore originally placed Kjerstad on the 7-day concussion IL but decided he needed more time. Kjerstad had a .366 average in 22 plate appearances between A and AA in his rehab appearances. Kjerstad is looking to provide a spark to one of the worst offenses in baseball since August.
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