The Orioles reinstated Kjerstad (concussion) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.
Kjerstad will rejoin the big club for the first time since early August after he completed a six-game rehab assignment that included stops at Double-A Bowie and High-A Aberdeen during which he went 6-for-18 with a double and a 3:1 BB:K. Before he was deactivated due to the concussion, Kjerstad had been serving as a part-time player for the Orioles, though he may have a clearer path to playing time over the final two weeks of the season while Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) remains on the IL. Ryan O'Hearn has taken over as the primary first baseman in Mountcastle's absence, but the Orioles could look to the lefty-hitting Kjerstad to fill the large side of a platoon at designated hitter with the right-handed-hitting Eloy Jimenez.
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Starts up rehab at High-A
Rotowire
Kjerstad (concussion) began a rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen on Saturday and has gone 2-for-5 with a walk and a run over his first two contests with the affiliate.
Kjerstad served as Aberdeen's designated hitter Saturday, then played five innings in right field Sunday. He'll likely remain in the minors during the upcoming week as he looks to regain his timing at the plate while he's been sidelined since late July while recovering from a concussion. Once Kjerstad is activated from the 10-day injured list, the Orioles may not have regular playing time available for him at the big-league level, so he could be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Kjerstad has cleared concussion protocol and is ramping up his activities, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
The hope is that Kjerstad will be ready to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk next week. He's been sidelined since early August following a recurrence of concussion symptoms and will likely need numerous rehab games before rejoining the Orioles.
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Rehab games coming next week
Rotowire
Kjerstad (concussion) is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Sept. 10 or shortly thereafter, Danielle Allentuck and Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner report.
Kjerstad has not played since experiencing a recurrence of his concussion symptoms back in early August. However, he was recently cleared to begin baseball activities, and the hope is he will be ready to play in games next week. Kjerstad will be build back up slowly, so he's looking at a late-September return from the 10-day injured list, provided he has no setbacks along the way.
Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Kjerstad (concussion) has begun to ramp up baseball activities, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Kjerstad's concussion has kept him on the injured list since Aug. 7, though he finally seems to be turning a corner in his recovery. The O's skipper noted that there is still no timetable in place for the 25-year-old outfielder's return, but the door is not closed on him rejoining Baltimore before the end of the season.
Orioles' Heston Kjerstad: Option reversed, goes on IL
Rotowire
The Orioles reversed Kjerstad's option to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday and placed him on the 10-day injured list with a concussion.
Kjerstad had previously been placed on the 7-day IL on July 13 with a concussion before he was reinstated July 20. He went 2-for-18 with three walks and seven strikeouts while appearing in seven games for the Orioles before he was optioned to Norfolk last Thursday, but he never appeared in any games for the Triple-A club following his demotion. According to general manager Mike Elias, Kjerstad is continuing to contend with mild symptoms of the concussion nearly a month later, so the Orioles will keep him out of game action at Triple-A for the foreseeable future and give him more time off to recover, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. Kjerstad's placement on the IL is retroactive to this past Thursday, but don't expect him to be reinstated when he's first eligible to return Sunday.
