The Orioles’ shrinking shot at the American League Wild Card picture just got a little tougher, and a little more interesting, at the same time.
Baltimore is 4-6 over its last 10 games and is trying to close the gap on the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians. That’s the backdrop as the club moves deeper into September, with every at-bat carrying a little more weight.
The latest hit to the roster is Luis Robert Jr., who is heading to the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Robert played in only three games after Baltimore claimed him on waivers from the New York Mets, and his absence opened the door for another outfielder to get a look.
The Orioles responded by promoting Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk.
That move gives Kjerstad a real chance to change the conversation around his season. The Athletic’s Andy McCullough called it a potentially major opening for the 27-year-old, who has struggled in the big leagues this year with a 59 OPS+ in 54 games with Baltimore in 2025.
“Less than a week after Baltimore spent $5 million to claim him off waivers, Robert injured his hamstring. So it goes,” McCullough wrote.
“That could mean more at-bats for Kjerstad, who has never put it all together since being chosen at No. 2 overall in 2020,” McCullough added.
Kjerstad’s Triple-A numbers suggest there’s at least some offensive life there. In 79 games with Norfolk, he hit .289/.337/.462 with 11 home runs and a .799 OPS.
He may not be the player who drags Baltimore back into the postseason race, but September now gives him a chance to leave a mark on the organization. Robert’s injury created the opening, and Kjerstad is the one stepping through it.
In Other News...
Orioles Late-Season Injury Picture Just Got More Complicated
The Orioles spent part of their series against the Guardians sorting through a late-season injury picture that keeps shifting around the edges. Keegan Akin and Ryan Mountcastle are both with the club, giving Baltimore at least a couple of familiar faces back in the mix, while the team also laid out where several others stand in their recoveries as the calendar keeps moving toward the finish.
Mountcastle will not play again this season because of an oblique injury, a reminder of how much attrition has worn on the roster, and the rehab updates do not bring a simple wave of reinforcements just yet. Luis Robert Jr. and Christian Franklin are working in Sarasota, Flix Bautista is at Triple-A Norfolk on assignment, and Kyle Bradish is being handled carefully after Tommy John surgery, with his workload watched closely as the Orioles keep managing one of the more complicated health charts on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face Two Big Questions As Wild Card Push Gets Tighter
The Wild Card race has tightened enough that every little update matters, and Craig Albernaz had a familiar opponent in mind when he talked about the Orioles place in it. The Baltimore manager, who spent time on the Guardians coaching staff, knows how closely these two clubs are watching each other as the standings compress and the margin for error shrinks. For the Orioles, the late-season picture is being shaped not just by the schedule, but by the health of a roster that has had to juggle a few key moving parts.
Ryan Helsley, Tyler ONeill, Flix Bautista, Ryan Mountcastle, Keegan Akin, Luis Robert Jr. and Christian Franklin all figure into that evolving injury picture, and Baltimores recent stretch has made each of those updates feel more important. The club has been trying to keep pace while sorting through those absences and tracking its recent results, but with the Guardians right there in the mix, the bigger questions are starting to come into focus. How quickly those players can return, and how much they can help once they do, may decide just how long the Orioles stay in the hunt. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Just Got Another Brutal Reminder About This Rebuild
A rough week for the Orioles in Boston did not end with much comfort for anyone still tracking where this rebuild stands. The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep, and in the same stretch of bad news for Baltimore, former Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was already making noise in his new home with Boston by leaving the yard against Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, another familiar name to Baltimore fans.
Rodriguez, once a first-round pick the Orioles hoped would help anchor the next wave, is now with the Angels after being dealt last winter for outfielder Taylor Ward. His Baltimore exit followed a frustrating run of injuries and uneven performance, which only adds to the sting when ex-Orioles keep popping up in meaningful moments elsewhere. Baltimore did at least stop the bleeding with a win the same day, ending a six-game skid, but the bigger picture for fans remains hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]