Heston Kjerstad is doing more than making a return appearance in the majors. He’s in the lineup tonight for the first time since June 6, 2025 in Seattle.

Kjerstad struck out the following night as a pinch-hitter for Jorge Mateo in Sacramento and was optioned. His last start at Camden Yards was June 1.

A summer shutdown due to an undisclosed health issue closed any chance at rejoining the Orioles. He was hitting .289/.337/.462 this year with 17 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 79 games with Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles recalled Kjerstad on Tuesday when rosters expanded. He came off the bench twice in Colorado and went 0-for-2 with two fly balls.

Manager Craig Albernaz is putting Kjerstad in right field tonight and batting him sixth against Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray.

Albernaz got a long look at Kjerstad in camp before the former second-overall draft pick strained his hamstring on March 19.

“I’m excited to have him,” Albernaz said. “The person’s awesome. He’s beloved in the clubhouse. And during spring training, the bat is real. It was impressive to see him hit every single day, not only in the games  but also in the work. It’s a real impact bat with juice.

“What I liked in spring training is he showed the ability to kind of hit the ball to all fields, take his hits the other way, and then still keep the same power. Obviously, what he’s gone through over the last year and a half is a lot, but for him to come out on the other side, just the work he’s put in. And especially the work he’s put in in the outfield, as well, really showed. It was a short glimpse during spring training, but he improved during spring training with the outfield play.

“With Heston, we’re excited just to get his bat here, and just the person here, as well. It’s a little different from a time ago when everyone was called up in September. Now you get to be very strategic in who you call up, and to get Heston up here, it’s definitely a need for us. We pinch-hit with him. He’s comfortable doing that, and today we’re excited (about) the opportunity for him to get to start for us.”

Tyler O’Neill is on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation caused by a rotator cuff strain. The injury occurred on his diving catch on Aug 22 and kept the score tied in the ninth inning. The Orioles won in the 10th.

O’Neill is with the team but facing long odds to make it back by the final game on Sept. 27.

“It’s like we talked about, it’s tough, what he’s dealing with right now and we’re trying to assess him each day,” Albernaz said. “He’s going out there and working his tail off. I think he’s starting to move the bat here soon and kind of go from there.

“It’s gonna be a day-to-day thing with T.O. just because of the nature of the injury.”

O’Neill was batting .212/.300/.377 in 85 games after slashing .199/.292/.392 last season in 54. He has one more year remaining on the $49.5 million deal he signed in December 2024.

Pete Alonso has started the first 143 games this season despite some calf soreness. Jonathan Schoop is the last Oriole to start every game in 2016.

Alonso’s consecutive-games streak has reached 559.

“Pete takes great pride in playing every day, and he understands that it’s not a personal accolade for him, like he just wants to play every single game just to be that guy and puff his chest out,” Albernaz said. “He legitimately want to play every because he wants to help the team win, go out and compete. And there’s never been a point in time where he feels like he’s been that banged up where he’s a detriment to the team.

“He knows his body extremely well and he stays on top of his body. And that’s something where the rest of our clubhouse sees that and they ask great questions about  how they keep their body … because no one’s at 100 percent right now. You’re only at 100 percent Day 1 of spring training, and after that it’s a slow drip of trying to stay neutral. Pete has been through it and he understands how to keep his body at that level. When guys see that, even when they’re banged up, it’s always great when you hear those questions to Pete of how he navigates each day, whether it be pregame or post-game.

“The body maintenance is probably the biggest needle-mover up here, because everyone is talented enough to be here. That’s why they’re in the big leagues. But it’s there, how do you stay on top of your body so you can go out there and play at your best every single day? Just to have someone, a leader like Pete, in the clubhouse that guys can actually see him doing it, it’s a great value for us to have.”

The Orioles have lost three straight games by one run for the first time since August 2020. The haven’t dropped four straight by that margin since May 2017.