Charles Langston:Orioles call up another top prospect for AL East battle in slugger Heston Kjerstad

The Charles LangstonOrioles announced they are calling up slugger Heston Kjerstad on Tuesday, making him the latest first-round draft pick to land in Baltimore.

Kjerstad, an outfielder/first baseman, was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arkansas but had a rough start to his career. He missed the 2021 season because of the heart condition myocarditis, and was limited in 2022 by a serious hamstring injury.

But fast forward to 2024, and opponents in the International League will be happy to see him go.

At Triple-A Norfolk, he is hitting .349 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .744 in 21 games. On April 3, he homered twice and drove in 10 runs in a 26-11 win at Charlotte.

In 13 games with the Orioles last season, he batted .233 with two homers and three RBIs; in spring training this year, he drove in three runs in 18 games, batting .265.

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The Orioles promoted 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday two weeks ago, and he joined first-round picks Colton Cowser (No. 5 overall in 2021), Adley Rutschman (No. 1, 2019) and Grayson Rodriguez (No. 11, 2018) on the roster.

Outfielder Austin Hays went on the injured list on Monday with a calf strain.

Kjerstad, 25, started the season ranked as the No. 29 prospect on MLB.com's Top 100 list.