Will Orioles recall Heston Kjerstad? | MAILBAG

Question: We need Heston Kjerstad. His bat is much better than Christian Franklin. Why isn’t he being given the opportunity? Even if he is not in the long-term plans, he is good trade material if he can demonstrate he can hit in “The Show.” From: Lee Kleiman 

Answer: Lee, I’ve answered several questions about Heston Kjerstad this season, and they keep coming—and justifiably so. I’ve been surprised that we haven’t seen Kjerstad, but it’s not a case of picking Franklin over him. Franklin is a right-handed hitter, and he was replacing Taylor Ward after he was traded.

It will be interesting to see if Kjerstad is the extra player added when the rosters expand on Tuesday. I think he does deserve a chance to play and prove himself, but I don’t know how often he would play if the Orioles are in contention for a playoff spot.

The guess here is that he’ll be traded in the offseason because he should get a chance to play, and if he isn’t going to play for the Orioles, perhaps another team will give him that opportunity.

Question: With the Elias promotion, I thought a search was on for a general manager …. does anyone else recall that and, if so, has anyone asked Elias for an update for that search? From: Joe A, Hunt Valley 

Answer: Joe, there were reports late last season that the Orioles had asked to interview candidates for a general manager to work under Mike Elias, who had been quietly promoted to president of baseball operations.

He later said that because of the search for a new manager, that would take priority.

If the Orioles were to hire someone, it could come in September or early October. That’s generally when candidates are free to interview. However, because of the labor uncertainty, I doubt that the Orioles will hire someone just ahead of a possible lockout.

Teams will be looking to cut costs, and the guess here is that the Orioles’ front office will remain the same.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.