REPORT: Former Arkansas Baseball star called up to MLB

BALTIMORE, Md. — According to Baltimore Orioles reporter, Andy Kostka, former Razorback Heston Kjerstad has been called up to The Show due to a shoulder injury to Ryan Mountcastle and is considered day-t0-day in recovery.

Orioles prospect Heston Kjerstad is on his way to Baltimore, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell the Baltimore Banner

— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) September 14, 2023

The former second overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft has seen his stock in the minor leagues skyrocket over the past year. Kjerstad sat out the first two years of his professional career due to myocarditis and then a hamstring injury.

Leading up to his call-up, he’s been known as a power hitter during his time in AAA. Kjerstad has hit .298 with 10 home runs and an .886 OPS in 76 games with Norfolk. Although he has been known to play outfield throughout his baseball career, Kjerstad has played primarily first base during his double-A and triple-A stint.

Arkansas Profile

As a Junior (2020)
>> Preseason Golden Spikes Watch List

Began the year as a unanimous First Team Preseason All-American, gaining recognition from five outlets … Rated as the top outfielder in the country in D1 Baseball’s Preseason Position Power Rankings … USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List … Preseason All-SEC First Team Outfielder (Coaches) … Recognized by D1 Baseball as the best hitter in the conference after the season … Started all 16 games of the 2020 season at right field … SEC Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 18) and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 18) … Placed in the two- and three-hole spots in the batting order, seeing nine starts as the second hitter in the lineup … Finished the season in seventh in career home runs at Arkansas with 37 … Led the team in seven offensive categories – batting average (.448), slugging percentage (.791), on-base percentage (.513), hits (30), homers (six), RBIs (20) and total bases (53) … SEC leader in hits (30), total bases (53), slugging percentage (.791), finishing second in batting average (.448) … Eleven of his 30 hits went for extra bases, with five doubles and six home runs … Scored 19 runs and earned 10 free passes via seven walks and three HBPs … Recorded a hit in every game of the 2020 season, with a 17-game hitting streak dating back to the final game of the 2019 campaign … Earned his player of the week nods for his performance in the opening weekend against Eastern Illinois (Feb. 14-16) … Racked up seven hits in the series, five for extra bases, which included a pair of two homer games in the opener and finale against the Panthers … Kicked off the year with a three-hit, three-RBI game, launching a pair of two-out homers in the fifth and seventh innings … Moved into a tie for 10^th in career home runs at Arkansas with 33, joining Dominic Fletcher (2017-19), Ryan Fox (2001-03) and Kevin McReynolds (1979-81) … Had one hit, one RBI, two runs and two walks in the middle game of the series vs. EIU … Wrapped the weekend with another three-hit performance, with a double and two more home runs, driving in six runs and scored twice … Hit homers in the second and sixth innings, making it three of his four dingers coming with two outs in the inning … Those two home runs bumped him to 35 for his career, sharing seventh all-time at Arkansas with Rodney Nye (1998-99) and Greg D’Alexander (1987-90) … All seven hits against the Panthers brought in at least one run … First Razorback since at least 2002 to record four home runs in the first series of the year … Four homers in the opening weekend totaled 1,427 feet (342, 324, 383, 378) … Had one hit in every game against Gonzaga (Feb. 20-23) … Scored twice and walked once in the opener against the Bulldogs, making it four-straight games to open the season with two runs scored in a game … Posted an RBI double in the third and fourth games of the series vs. the Zags, scoring once with two walks in the finale on Feb. 23 … Was the team’s top hitter at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in Houston, racking up seven hits, including a double and a homer, with two RBIs and three runs scored … Finished the weekend with a .538/.846/.571 line at the plate, sporting multi-hit performances in all three games … Had two singles in the opener against Oklahoma on Feb. 28 … Followed it with a three-hit, two-RBI, two-run showing vs. Texas on Feb. 29 … Launched a solo home run to straightaway centerfield in the sixth inning against the Longhorns to kickstart an attempted comeback late … Put him in sole possession of seventh in career homers at Arkansas with 34 … Added two more hits against Baylor in the Shriners finale on March 1, with a double and a single, the latter coming in the eighth, scoring the first of two runs in the frame to make it a one-run game vs. the Bears … Named to the 2020 Shriners College Classic All-Tournament Team … Recorded an RBI single vs. Illinois State on March 3 as part of a two-hit day for his fourth consecutive multi-hit showing … Kept the hitting streak alive with an eighth-inning single against South Alabama in the series opener on March 6 … Followed it with a pair of two-hit games at the plate, tallying three RBIs in the middle game of the set and two in the final contest of the series … His two RBIs in the finale came on a walk-off two-run home run in the ninth inning against the Jags … First walk-off homer of his career and first by a Razorback since Joe Serrano vs. San Diego State on March 8, 2013, exactly seven years apart … Tallied his fourth three-hit game of the year in the first midweek opener against Grand Canyon on March 10, scoring in the fifth, while driving in a run in the sixth … Added two more hits and two runs scored in the final game of the season on March 11, finishing the year with multi-hit performances and at least one run scored in each of the last four games … Needed two more homers to tie for sixth in career home runs at Arkansas.

As a Sophomore (2019)
>> All-SEC Second Team
>> Preseason Golden Spikes Watch List

Finished with the third-highest batting average on the team (.327), playing 65 games … Also matched his hit total (87) from 2018 and totaled 13 doubles, one triple and a career-best 17 home runs … Notched 51 RBIs, becoming the first Razorback to have 50 or more RBIs in his first two seasons since Rodney Nye in 1998 and 1999 … His home run total tied for second-most in the SEC and good for 28th in the nation … His hit total was also good for 10th-best in the league and his team-best slugging percentage (.575) was the ninth-highest in the conference … Totaled 153 bases, good for second on the team, fifth in the SEC and 18th most in the nation … In conference play, hit .319 in 29 games, the second-highest average on the team with six home runs and 20 RBIs … Also slugged .509 and had a .402 on-base percentage against conference opponents … In the NCAA Tournament, he hit .313, the third-highest average on the team with a .688 slugging percentage, three home runs and seven RBIs … Had a home run in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional (vs. Central Connecticut – May 31), in the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional (vs. Ole Miss – June 10) and in the College World Series (vs. Texas Tech – June 17) and now has five postseason home runs in his career … Finished the year with 24 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games … Half of his multi-hit games consisted of three hits or more, including two four-hit games (vs. Western Illinois – March 12; at #7 Vanderbilt – April 14) … Had a 14-game hitting streak from March 31-April 24, matching a career-long and tying for the longest on the team … Hit .369 during that hit streak with 24 hits, 16 RBIs and five home runs … Also had seven multi-hit games during that streak, including two games with three hits or more (4 at Vanderbilt – April 14 & 3 vs. Northwestern St. – April 23) … Against Vanderbilt, he tied his career high with four hits with three of those hits being singles and drove in one RBI in the 14-12 come-from-behind victory … Tied his career high in hits earlier in the year against Western Illinois (March 13), going a perfect 4-for-4 with a triple and a home run falling a double short of the cycle, while also scoring a career-high three runs … Had one of the best bats in the month of April, hitting .364 with a team-best eight home runs and 25 RBIs … Had eight multi-hit games during the month and also had two 5-RBI games (vs. Oral Roberts -April 9; vs. #18 Tennessee – April 27) … Against ORU, he only had two hits, but both were home runs, including his second-career grand slam … Ten games later, he notched his fourth multi-home run game of his career against Tennessee (April 27), part of a three-hit game … Was nearly held hitless in the NCAA Super Regional against Ole Miss, going 0-for-4 in Game 1 and just 1-for-4 in Game 2, but went 3-for-4 in Game 3 with four RBIs with a career-high two doubles and one home run in the 14-1 victory.

As a Freshman (2018)
>> SEC Freshman of the Year
>> All-SEC Second Team
>> SEC All-Freshman Team
>> NCBWA First Team Freshman All-American
>> Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American

Played in and started all 69 games in the outfield … Hit .332, good for second on the team with 87 hits, 30 for extra bases, 16 doubles, 14 home runs, 58 RBIs and 145 total bases … Won SEC Freshman of the Year honors, becoming only the third Razorback to win a major SEC award (Andrew Benintendi – 2015; Nick Schmidt – 2006) … His 87 hits tied with fellow freshman Casey Martin for the Arkansas freshman single-season record … His 65 runs scored and 14 home runs led the team and were good for fourth and ninth in the SEC, respectively … The 14 home runs set an Arkansas freshman single-season record, previously set by Zack Cox (13 in 2009) … His 145 total bases were the most by any freshman in the SEC and also set an Arkansas freshman single-season record, previously set by Danny Hamblin (122 in 2004) … Hit .322 in SEC play with five home runs and 21 RBIs … Also slugged .521 and had a .375 on-base percentage against league opponents … In the NCAA Tournament, he hit .311, the third-highest average on the team with a .659 slugging percentage, three home runs and 11 RBIs … In the College World Series, he hit .250 with six hits and four RBIs … Finished the year with 24 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games … Tallied his first three-hit game on Opening Day vs. Bucknell (Feb. 16), part of a 3-for-4 day with three runs scored and one double … Hit his first collegiate home run against Arizona (Feb. 21) in San Diego, California, a solo shot that was the only run of the game … Combined in series at Charlotte (March 21) and Florida (March 23-25), went 9-for-16 (.563) at the plate with six extra-base hits, three home runs and a staggering 1.313 slugging percentage, while striking out just twice … Had a season-high four RBIs against Dayton (March 1), Missouri State (April 17) and Oral Roberts (June 1) in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional … In the game against Dayton, he was just 1-for-4, but his lone hit was his first career grand slam … In the NCAA Regional opener against Oral Roberts, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs, his second multi-home run game of the year … Finished the regional 5-for-10 (.500), leading all Razorbacks with five RBIs and three walks … Established Arkansas’ freshman single-season home run record (14) with a solo shot in game two of the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional against South Carolina (June 10) … Strung together a 14-game hitting streak from March 14 against Texas to April 4 against ULM, the longest hitting streak on the team … Hit .439 during that streak with eight multi-hit games and three games with three hits or more … Throughout the month of March, he hit .360 with six home runs and 22 RBIs … Was one of five freshmen and the only freshman in the SEC to have a .330 batting average or higher and a .550 slugging percentage or higher.

In the Draft
2017 – Seattle Mariners, 36th round (1,083 overall)