SARASOTA, Fla. -- A pair of Orioles outfielders -- as well as one of the club's top left-handed relievers -- have sustained new injuries in the final days of Spring Training.
Dylan Beavers was scratched from the lineup prior to Friday's 3-1 Grapefruit League loss to the Yankees due to right knee discomfort. The 24-year-old's removal was precautionary, as he doesn't expect his status for Opening Day on Thursday to be in jeopardy.
However, Heston Kjerstad's 2026 season could begin with a stint on the injured list. The 27-year-old hasn't played since Thursday due to right hamstring tightness and is scheduled to undergo imaging on Monday.
Meanwhile, Keegan Akin sustained an adductor injury while warming up in the bullpen during Saturday's 10-8 win over the Phillies in the Grapefruit finale. The team does not yet know the severity of the situation, and like Kjerstad, Akin will undergo imaging on Monday.
The ailments to the outfielders may not impact the Orioles' Opening Day roster. Beavers (the club's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 69 overall) has been expected to make the team, and that should still be the case. Meanwhile, Kjerstad has a Minor League option remaining and seemed likely to begin the year at Triple-A Norfolk.
Beavers' condition has already improved, and he's hopeful his knee doesn't become a longer-term issue. As the O's play a pair of exhibition games vs. the Nationals on Sunday (at Camden Yards) and Monday (at Nationals Park), they're having Beavers take things "light" before reassessing his status on Wednesday.
"It feels better today. It was just a little tightness, I think, coming from my quad. But I was a little bit sore to run yesterday, so not really pushing it," Beavers said on Saturday morning. "I'm hoping it'll be very short term and I'll be good to go as soon as possible."
"Precautionary," manager Craig Albernaz added. "I'm glad he said something. He's responding well today."
After posting a .775 OPS during his first 35-game stint in the big leagues last year, the left-handed-hitting Beavers (the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft) is expected to be an integral part of Baltimore's outfield rotation in '26. He could split time in right field with Tyler O'Neill while also serving as a potential backup option to Colton Cowser in center.
Kjerstad experienced tightness in his right hamstring during Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates, prompting his removal from the game in the eighth inning.
"It's tight, so we just want to be precautionary and get it looked at," Albernaz said.
A former top prospect and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Kjerstad hasn't been able to stick in the big leagues. The left-handed-hitting outfielder owns a .218/.284/.365 slash line in 106 MLB games over the past three seasons.
Kjerstad had a strong start to Spring Training, but he ended up hitting .195 with two doubles, two home runs, four RBIs and a .605 OPS over 13 Grapefruit games. It likely would have taken a bigger spring for him to force his way onto the roster, as veteran Leody Taveras has been the front-runner to be the fifth outfielder.
Until the update on Kjerstad's condition comes in the next few days, the roster and outfield situation will remain in limbo -- as will the bullpen situation, when an update on Akin is available.
The 30-year-old veteran Akin, who had a 5.79 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over five appearances this spring, is expected to be the top southpaw in a bullpen that could feature fellow left-handers Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram.
Akin had a 3.41 ERA in 64 games last season and has a 3.36 ERA in 130 outings over the past two years.
Reporter Paige Leckie contributed to this article.