It might be time to start worrying about this Orioles' outfielder

Heston Kjerstad began the season as a left-handed bench bat for the Orioles, with the occasional start as the designated hitter. Following the Colton Cowser injury, many fans expected to see Kjerstad every day in the outfield but that hasn't been the case. Ramon Laureano has started 2 of the 3 games in left field since Cowser fractured his thumb against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Red Sox rolled out a pair of lefties to start the series in Sean Newcomb and Garrett Crochet, which left Kjerstad on the bench for the first two games at Camden Yards. Kjerstad would go 1 for 4 in the home opener before he got his first outfield appearance of the series in the finale on Thursday. He would go 1 for 2 with a strikeout and a double before exiting the game as left-hander, Justin Wilson, would enter in the bottom half of the 6th.

The quick trigger begs the question of whether the Orioles trust Kjerstad to face left-handed pitching. In his career, Kjerstad has hit .316 against southpaws, although the sample is only 19 at-bats. He did hit well against lefties in the minors in 2023, but the O's started limiting his time against them at Triple-A in 2024. That approach has carried over into the majors and it's unclear when, if ever, he'll get the chance to prove himself in Baltimore. The former first-round pick could be a piece in a larger package for the Orioles at the trade deadline if the front office is willing to part ways.

Heston Kjerstad is off to a slow start. Is it time to worry about him?

After a poor spring from Kjerstad, Orioles fans were told not to worry about the young lefty as he would continue to get opportunities and turn it around. While he's been underwhelming to begin the season and with Cowser out for an expected 6-8 weeks, Kjerstad needs to turn it on and find his groove before he plays his way out of opportunities.

The Orioles have already shown that for the duration of Cowser's injury, Kjerstad will have limited at-bats against left-handed pitching. This only makes his opportunities against right-handers more important, as he'll need to earn more playing time when Cowser returns. Kjerstad's only two hits in 2025 are off of right-handers.

Brendan Mortensen of MASN had picked Kjerstad to be this season's Cowser and while the injury situation is unfortunate, it's the perfect storm for Kjerstad to explode onto the scene like Cowser did in 2024. Kjerstad is not a lost cause just yet but fans can begin to worry about the youngsters' production in the early goings of the season.