Few MLB players have dealt with more bad luck than Heston Kjerstad.

His professional baseball career was stunted because of the heart condition myocarditis, which forced him to miss two calendar years.

Then, once he began establishing himself as a big leaguer, he was struck in the head with a 97 mph fastball.

The former is why Kjerstad didn’t make his MLB debut until September 2023. The latter is perhaps why he’ll enter the 2025 season as a backup instead of a starter.

Kjerstad, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, still has the talent and upside of a top prospect. In 52 career games, he has posted a solid .746 OPS while earning intermittent playing time, and he crushed Triple-A pitching last year with a .301 batting average and .998 OPS.

But whether Kjerstad — in 2025 or ever — will be allowed to receive everyday at-bats remains one of the biggest questions facing the Orioles with spring training approaching.

“This is lining up to be a really good opportunity for him this season, and that’s something we’ve been hoping to do for him,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said earlier this offseason. “He’s a second overall pick, great minor league resume despite a ton of adversity in terms of his injuries over the years.”Kjerstad debuted with the Orioles late in their magical 2023 campaign and was a left-handed bench bat, earning the occasional start at designated hitter and pinch hitting against righties. He was expected to break camp with the Orioles in 2024, but Colton Cowser emerged in the spring to take that roster spot from Kjerstad.

But after dominating Triple-A, Kjerstad earned the call back to the big leagues in April. However, he only received 17 plate appearances in 17 days on the Orioles’ roster, and he was optioned back to the minors.

When he returned in June, he was given more playing time, and he began to look like the force at the plate he was projected to be. For two weeks with regular at-bats, Kjerstad was the Orioles’ best hitter — posting a .378/.465/.676 slash line for a 1.141 OPS. That stretch marked the first time he received consistent playing time in the majors, and it was ruined by the fastball that hit him in the head and gave him a concussion that altered the rest of his 2024 season.

Entering the offseason, the Orioles had the opportunity to move Kjerstad into a full-time role as Anthony Santander’s replacement in right field. Santander signed earlier this month with the Toronto Blue Jays, who gave the switch-hitting slugger a $92.5 million contract that included deferred money.

Instead, the Orioles jumped out in front of the market before the winter meetings to sign former St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill to a three-year deal worth $49.5 million.

O’Neill isn’t a one-for-one replacement for Santander, but he is one of the better power bats in baseball after he blasted 31 homers in only 113 games with the Red Sox last season.

O’Neill’s salary ensures he will begin the season as a starting corner outfielder opposite Cowser, but that doesn’t mean Kjerstad will be resigned to a traditional bench role. O’Neill’s drastic splits and injury history provide an opportunity for Kjerstad to earn a healthy amount of playing time, even if it’s not an everyday role.

While O’Neill is still a solid hitter against right-handed pitchers (.751 career OPS), he’s otherworldly against left-handers (.923 OPS in career, 1.180 OPS in 2024). The Orioles would not have given O’Neill $16.5 million per year to only play against southpaws, but they do need to enter 2025 with a plan to keep him healthy. The 29-year-old has been placed on the injured list 14 times in seven seasons, including three stints last year.

The simplest way to keep O’Neill healthy (and to provide Kjerstad more playing time) is to give O’Neill more rest days throughout the season. If O’Neill is given one or two rest days per week — both against right-handed starters — it could keep him fresh and get Kjerstad’s left-handed bat in the lineup. Then, late in games, O’Neill could enter for Kjerstad if the opposing team brings in a tough lefty reliever.

“You look at his major league numbers, and they’re pretty good,” Elias said. “I think we’ve got a scenario now where he’s got opportunities, but we’re not going to have to overexpose him. If there’s a tough lefty that day, whether it’s him or Cedric or Colton, we can give him a break. Our Tyler O’Neill signing is something where we’re keeping Heston in mind.”

While the outlook for the upcoming campaign is uncertain, that’s nothing new for Kjerstad. And maybe all he needs in 2025 is a bit of luck.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer @baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.