Heston Kjerstad is heading to free agency after clearing outright waivers, ending his run in the Orioles organization and opening the door for another team to take a look this winter.
The move comes after Baltimore designated Kjerstad for assignment, and it marks another difficult turn in a career that has not developed the way the Orioles hoped when they took him second overall in the 2020 draft. Injuries have played a major role in that story. Kjerstad missed the 2021 season with myocarditis, and he has not received an extended major league look in any season since his debut in 2023.
A stop-and-start Orioles tenure
Kjerstad’s 2025 season showed both the promise and the inconsistency that have defined much of his time in the organization. He set career highs with 54 games and 167 plate appearances, but he hit just.192/.240/.327 with four home runs. He also missed the last two months of the season because of an unspecified medical condition.
His 2026 season followed a similarly uneven path. Kjerstad suffered a hamstring strain in March, then came off the injured list in the last week of May. The Orioles optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit.289/.337/.462 with 11 home runs in 333 plate appearances. Baltimore recalled him in September when rosters expanded, but he appeared in only 11 games and went 4 for 19 with one double, nine strikeouts and no walks.
That late-season stint did not provide much of a reset. His brief major league return produced an 80 wRC+, while his work in Triple-A Norfolk was good for a 106 wRC+. Neither stretch was enough to change the larger picture around his roster status.
What comes next
By clearing waivers, Kjerstad is now free to sign with any team. Given his age and past pedigree, he should draw attention elsewhere, most likely on a minor league contract as he looks for a fresh opportunity. For the Orioles, the transaction closes the book on a player whose time in Baltimore fell well short of expectations after a second-overall selection only a few years ago.
