No part of Heston Kjerstad’s journey has been normal.

Taken second overall in the shortest draft in baseball history, Kjerstad entered professional baseball in a season with no minor league games. An episode of myocarditis pushed his debut to June 2022. He climbed the organizational rungs to reach the big leagues in just 15 months, but a concussion forced him to miss time in 2024.

Finally, in 2025, he broke camp with the big league team and was given regular playing time.

It was a disaster. Kjerstad hit just .192, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk in June, then placed on the injured list with fatigue.

In September, president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Kjerstad was undergoing treatments for a medical condition.

That shroud of mystery hung over Kjerstad entering spring training, even after manager Craig Albernaz proclaimed the outfielder ready for camp. Kjerstad reported to Sarasota early and has been a regular on the backfields and at live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium.

On Sunday, Kjerstad said he’s “back to full health” but declined to go into detail about what forced him to miss time last season.

“At this time, probably not gonna share too much, kinda like the team’s already said,” he said at his locker. “But in the future that’s something we’ll definitely get into to cover the whole topic and all that.”

For now, whatever issue plagued Kjerstad appears to be behind him. He’s participating in drills with the outfielders. He smacked a left-on-left home run off reliever Keegan Akin during live batting practice Friday, then took prospect Trey Gibson the other way for a wind-aided homer Sunday.

“Feel pretty good,” he said. “It’s early. It’s lives on a backfield, but taking live ABs, they’ve been really good for me.”

Kjerstad’s path to playing time looks different than it did a year ago. Uncertainty over his status and that of 30-year-old Tyler O’Neill forced the Orioles to acquire veteran Taylor Ward as an everyday left fielder.

Dylan Beavers, who shined in his introduction to the big leagues, is expected to contribute as well. The O’s also signed center fielder Leody Taveras to a one-year deal.

But neither Kjerstad nor the Orioles can think that far ahead. First, he has to prove he can remain healthy, especially after an offseason spent recovering.

“[It] probably took me the first part of the offseason to kinda build back some strength and do some things like that to get back to where I wanted to be,” he said. “But right now, thankfully, in a great spot right now, full health, ready to roll.”

A tweak to his stride might help, too. Gone is Kjerstad’s pronounced leg kick, abandoned in favor of a much smaller step, a move that felt natural, he said.

“That was something I was working on this offseason, maybe developed into that,” he said. “We’ll see what it leads to. I still have the leg kick. [I] always like it, but there’s always a time for change, especially if it makes you a better hitter. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

Kjerstad felt more confident in the adjustment after spending time with teammate Jackson Holliday and his family in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this winter. After conversations with Holliday, his father, Matt, and brother, Ethan, Kjerstad accepted the change was best for his timing at the plate.

“It just felt like I was more consistently on time with barrels, getting my foot down quicker, seeing the ball a little bit longer, hopefully be able to recognize pitches and make better swing decisions with it, too,” he said.

Better pitch recognition and timing could help Kjerstad cut down on strikeouts. He struck out 45 times in just 54 big league games in 2025.

Step one is getting back on the field.

“It should be a good year for me,” he said. “Healthy and we’ll see what happens.”