Baltimore Orioles rookie Heston Kjerstad was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after a bench-clearing hit by pitch. A scary moment unfolded at Camden Yards on Friday when Yankees closer Clay Holmes drilled rookie Heston Kjerstad in the helmet with a 96.8 mph sinker. Kjerstad lay face down in the dirt motionless before being helped off the field by the Orioles training staff.
Orioles Rookie On Injured List After Head Injury
As Kjerstad left the field, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stormed towards the Yankees dugout sparking a bench-clearing brawl. Yankees catcher Austin Wells stopped Hyde at home plate while Orioles outfielders Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, and Anthony Santander ran to hold their skipper back. Words were exchanged, benches for both teams cleared, and some pushed and shoved before Hyde was ultimately ejected. Baltimore’s skipper was emotional after seeing Kjerstad get hit in the ear and did not like the comments and mannerisms coming from the Yankees dugout.
Baltimore initially listed Kjerstad in Saturday’s starting lineup, but the 25-year-old outfielder was not feeling 100% during pregame workouts. Roughly 90 minutes before the first pitch, Kjerstad was scratched from the lineup and replaced by Hays in left field. Shortly after, the hot-hitting rookie was placed on the seven-day injured list with a concussion. Outfielder Kyle Stowers was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to take Kjerstad’s place on the active roster.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/Mjh8XjTEtB
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 13, 2024
Orioles Rookie Heston Kjerstad Placed On Concussion Injured List
Heston Kjerstad made his MLB debut and appeared in 13 games for the Orioles last season. After starting the season with Triple-A Norfolk, he was called back up for three weeks in the majors before returning to Norfolk. Since his June 24th recall, Kjerstad has received increased playing time after only 17 plate appearances in his initial stint.
Since returning to the Orioles lineup, the 25-year-old is slasheing.378/.465/.676 with three homers and 12 RBI. He has seen regular action in the corner outfield and as the O’s designated hitter, batting almost exclusively against right-handers. Going into Saturday, Baltimore had scored only three runs in their past 36 innings, which made Kjerstad’s injury even more unfortunate.
While the former first rounder is sidelined, Kyle Stowers will slide right into Kjerstad’s role on the active roster. Stowers has fared well in the majors this season, batting .286/.278/.486 with nine RBI over 17 games. He has continued to mash in Triple-A with 17 homers in 53 games this season. Stowers has 56 career home runs with Triple-A Norfolk, surpassing Gary Rajsich in the most home runs in Tides history. Strikeouts remain a flaw in Stowers’ game, but he can give the O’s plenty of power until Kjerstad returns.
Main Photo Credits: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
