Orioles top draft pick Heston Kjerstad had a setback in his comeback from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, executive vice president Mike Elias said Wednesday, further pushing back Kjerstad’s expected return to baseball action.
After the Orioles selected Kjerstad second overall in the 2020 MLB draft, he hasn’t participated in any team activities after he missed the fall instructional camp with the myocarditis diagnosis. Kjerstad reported to the team’s complex in Sarasota, Florida, to begin working his way back to baseball form this spring, but Elias said this “recurring inflammation” is “slowing down our plan for his return to play.