The Baltimore Orioles have reassigned outfielder Heston Kjerstad to Double-A Bowie as he continues his recovery from a concussion, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Kjerstad began his rehab stint with High-A Aberdeen on Saturday, where he played three games, hitting .375 (3-for-8) with a double and an RBI. He also drew a walk and did not record any strikeouts.
The move to Bowie brings Kjerstad closer to a potential return to the Orioles later this month. The 25-year-old has been dealing with concussion issues since early July.
Kjerstad was initially placed on the 7-day concussion list on July 13 after being hit in the head by a pitch. Although he was activated a week later, he struggled in his subsequent games, hitting just 2-for-18 before reporting ongoing symptoms.
He was re-added to the 7-day concussion list on August 1 and then moved to the 10-day injured list on August 7.
In his 28 MLB games, Kjerstad has posted a .261/.370/.420/.790 slash line with three home runs and 12 RBIs. This marks an improvement from his brief MLB stint last year, where he batted .233/.281/.467/.748 with two home runs and three RBIs.
As Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2020, Kjerstad began this season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he excelled with a .300/.397/.601/.998 slash line, 16 home runs, and 58 RBIs in 56 games. He briefly struggled in the majors but showed promise upon his return in June, batting .438 with two home runs and eight RBIs in six games.
The Orioles currently have four outfielders on their active roster: Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and Austin Slater, with additional players capable of playing in the outfield.
