The Orioles made another sharp roster call on Monday, parting ways with Heston Kjerstad after he cleared waivers and is set to become a free agent.
It’s a notable move for a player who arrived with real pedigree. Kjerstad, now 27, was once a consensus top-100 prospect and took part in the 2023 Futures Game. Baltimore selected him with the No. 2 overall pick, and not long ago he looked like he could become a key piece of the club’s young position-player core.
That future never fully took shape in Baltimore. Across four seasons from 2023-26, Kjerstad hit .217/.280/.359 with an 81 OPS+, a disappointing line for a former first-round talent.
Even so, the Orioles’ decision to move on comes as a surprise given his age and modest salary. He was still a year away from arbitration eligibility and was due just $789,500 in 2026.
The timing also stands out because Baltimore reportedly declined Ryan Mountcastle’s $7.5 million option for 2027 on the same day. Mountcastle spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Orioles, appearing in 660 regular-season games for the club.
Kjerstad did show some life at Triple-A Norfolk in 2026, where he hit .289/.337/.462. That kind of production should give him a chance to catch on elsewhere, with another team likely willing to bet that his bat still has more to offer.
Baltimore’s willingness to make these moves reflects the fallout from a rough stretch. After winning 101 games in 2023, the Orioles have missed the postseason in each of the last two seasons, with a lack of pitching and stalled development from several young hitters helping drag the team down. The club also traded catcher Adley Rutschman to the division-rival Red Sox in a stunning August deal.
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