DENVER -- On Monday night, Heston Kjerstad was at a hospital in Arkansas, where his wife, Klaire, gave birth to the couple's first child -- a son, Krue. It was a special moment for the 27-year-old.
Meanwhile, in Norfolk, Va., Luis De León was having a chill night at his apartment and scrolling through Netflix. The 23-year-old was so unplugged that he left his cell phone in another room.
By Tuesday afternoon, both Kjerstad and De León were in the big leagues.
The Orioles called up Kjerstad and De León (the team's No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline) from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Tuesday night's game vs. the Rockies at Coors Field. For Kjerstad, it marks his first time in the big leagues since June 2025, while De León has reached The Show for the first time.
The moves were part of a lengthy series of transactions made by Baltimore as active rosters expanded from 26 players to 28. The list also included outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (who was claimed off outright waivers from the Mets on Monday) being added to the roster, right-hander Albert Suárez having his contract selected from Triple-A, outfielder Christian Franklin (left hand inflammation) getting placed on the 10-day injured list and left-hander Cade Povich being optioned to Triple-A.
It's been a bit of a long road back here for Kjerstad, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and a former top prospect. The University of Arkansas product played 106 games for the O's from 2023-25, hitting .218 with eight doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .649 OPS.
However, Kjerstad has not appeared in a big league game since June 6, 2025. Last year, he was optioned back to Triple-A and then did not play in a game there after July 25 due to an undisclosed medical issue.
This year, Kjerstad began the season on the injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Once he recovered, he was again optioned to Triple-A on May 28.
So when Kjerstad got the call on Monday informing him he was being recalled, his wife encouraged him to go -- even if that meant not getting much sleep to be with his newborn child and catching up on rest during the flight to Denver.
"Having my first kid with my wife, that was unreal. I can’t even put it into words," Kjerstad said. "So thankful for my wife. She is doing great. Son is doing great. She was the one who pushed for me to get out of there and go get back up to the big leagues, since they called and wanted me to come. ...
"It’s definitely probably the hardest I’ve had to leave to go back to play baseball. But that’s part of life. We’ve all got to go to work and provide for our family.”
Kjerstad hit .289 with 17 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, 44 RBIs and a .799 OPS in 79 Triple-A games this year. His left-handed power is his greatest tool, and it could be valuable to the Orioles (69-69) as they look to continue their push for the postseason in September.
De León was called up to serve as a high-octane lefty out of Baltimore's bullpen. The Barahona, Dominican Republic, native had a 6.50 ERA in seven games (three starts) at Triple-A this season after recording a 4.33 ERA in 19 starts at Double-A Chesapeake.
In mid-August, the O's moved De León to a relief role at Norfolk so that he could potentially help during the stretch run in the big leagues. He had a 9.82 ERA in 3 2/3 innings over four relief outings.
"He’s handled himself extremely well -- his makeup, his demeanor," manager Craig Albernaz said. "With LDL, we’re going to be smart with when he’s deployed in the game, the ramp-up. Especially early on, to kind of get him more comfortable in the bullpen, but also pitching in the big leagues as well."
De León didn't learn of his promotion immediately, though, due to his Netflix session on Monday night. He didn't know the team was attempting to contact him until his roommate came in from the other room of their apartment.
"Like 10 missed calls happened," De León said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I was happily watching the movie, and sure enough, my roommate comes over and he’s like, ‘Dude, they’ve been calling you.’"
Once De León returned the call, he was ready to get going.
"Ever since I started playing baseball, this is something I’ve dreamed of," De León said. "The way I started this year, I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. But to be here now, it’s incredible, and I’m truly thankful and really happy."