Leftovers for breakfast

The uncertainties over the Orioles’ roster for 2025 include how they intend to use Heston Kjerstad. Will he receive an opportunity to play every day, no matter the matchup, and how many starts will he get in the outfield?

Some stability would be a nice advancement for the second-overall draft pick in 2020.

Kjerstad was optioned multiple times and had multiple stints on the concussion injured list. He totaled 39 games and 114 plate appearances, batting .253/.351/.394, and made his second playoff roster.

It’s hard to label Kjerstad’s usage as a platoon because he didn’t play regularly, but he had only 16 at-bats against left-handers and collected six hits.

Manager Brandon Hyde was asked at his season-ending media session about platooning some of the younger hitters.

“Yeah, kind of tough,” he replied.

“You're going to have the Rookie of the Year (Colton Cowser) in left field. You got Cedric Mullins, an above-average center fielder and playing really well, and then you had (Anthony) Santander with 44 homers in right. And then you’ve got Mounty (Ryan Mountcastle) and (Ryan) O'Hearn as kind of this DH-first base situation. Sometimes, the opportunity is not there and you got to take advantage of it when it does come. So you do look for times to get them in the lineup or to get them at-bats. And I felt like I tried to the best I can.

“Kjerstad’s example was, unfortunately, he got hit in the helmet and he was swinging the bat really well at that time. I think the opportunity was going to increase during that time and then he had the concussion. So that’s the Kjerstad example.”

Hyde also considers reverse splits and cited Royals left-hander Cole Ragans as a playoff example.

“I hadn't started Ced against a whole lot of left-handers the second half and wanted to give him that start because of the reverse as well the defense at center field,” Hyde said “I think we look at everything, honestly. There's a lot of projected stats that we get. I get a lot of information and I do the best I can with the information given to me.”

Right field could open with Santander approaching free agency. That was the original plan. Kjerstad was made for playing right in Camden Yards. He could get at-bats as the designated hitter. He’s made 45 starts at first base in the minors.

The upcoming season finally could be Kjerstad’s chance to graduate into a full-time role. Or at least get the chance to try it.

* Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is the official cover athlete for the 2024 Topps Chrome Update Series.

According to the company, Holliday’s Rookie Debut Patch Autograph 1/1 will be one of the key chase cards in the product.

I believe Chase Cards also was a former Phillies infielder. No?

Anyway, the series will hit hobby shops on Nov. 13 and feature MLB Debut Patches for players who made their debuts between June 1, 2023-May 24, which includes Holliday, Cowser, Paul Skenes, Elly de la Cruz, Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill, Shota Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wyatt Langford, Jordan Lawlar, Evan Carter and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

* A question that didn’t make the upcoming mailbag:

“What’s the status of reliever Nick Anderson? Is he still in the organization?”

Anderson can become a minor league free agent five days after the World Series. He’s listed as eligible for arbitration but wouldn’t enter the system unless the Orioles decided to tender him a contract.

A possible outcome is agreeing to a minor league deal with a spring training invite and an opt-out clause. The Orioles could negotiate a split contract with advance consent, where Anderson would approve an option if he doesn’t make the club. He has enough service time to decline.

Anderson could throw for teams during the winter and attract a major league offer. He’s healthy again after straining his Achilles last month during warmups with Triple-A Norfolk.

* Jake Cunningham started in right field Thursday for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League and went 4-for-5 with a grand slam.

The Orioles drafted Cunningham in the fifth round in 2023 out of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He hit a combined .220/.312/.308 with four home runs this summer in 92 games between the Florida Complex League Orioles, Single-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen. Seventy-one games were played with the Shorebirds.

Cunningham is batting .225/.328/.315 with five homers in 106 games over two minor league seasons, but he’s 6-for-12 in his first three AFL games. He started in left field yesterday and was 1-for-4 with a walk and run scored.

Houston Roth had a rough relief outing yesterday, with five runs allowed in one-third of an inning.

Left-hander Juan Rojas started Thursday and threw two scoreless innings. Tyler Burch allowed a run in the seventh but that wasn’t the number that mattered.

Burch’s fastball topped out at 99 mph and sat at 98-99. He’s gained velocity since beginning the minor league season on the injured list following arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.

The 2024 season was mostly spent rehabbing. He allowed one run and struck out nine batters in 7 2/3 innings on his assignment with Aberdeen and pitched twice for Double-A Bowie. The Orioles sent him to the AFL to accumulate more innings and for evaluation purposes, since he’s eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Burch’s ties to the organization go back to the 2021 trade deadline when the Orioles acquired him from the Phillies for veteran shortstop Freddy Galvis.

* Another question that didn’t make the mailbag:

“Has the organization’s opinion of Jackson Holliday changed at all?”

To quote Mike Elias when he was asked about Holliday and Coby Mayo, “Totally 100 percent incredibly bullish on both of those guys.”

And then, focusing more on Holliday, Elias added, “As I said earlier this season, a lot during the season, it was a tough decision how to handle his debut out of spring training and it didn’t go the way that we wanted or hoped or expected, and that’s on me.” 

So in conclusion, the answer is “no.”

* A transaction from a few days ago:

The Orioles released right-hander Hugo Beltran, who didn’t pitch this year.

Beltran was placed on Delmarva’s seven-day injured list July 5, 2023 and the full-season injured list March 20. He made 16 relief appearances with the Shorebird last season and posted a 2.73 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. His 27 appearances with Delmarva in 2022 resulted in a 2.58 ERA over 38 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers traded Beltan to the Orioles for cash considerations on July 10, 2021.