Fantasy Baseball 2025: 5 role players that will emerge as stars in new roles

3. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles

Similarly to Dominguez, Heston Kjerstad is a young outfielder that debuted in 2023 but hasn't gotten a lot of playing time. Kjerstad hasn't dealt with injuries in the same manner as the Yankees slugger, but he has always been blocked by big league talent.

Baltimore's premier power hitter last year, Anthony Santander, left the Orioles in free agency, which opened up a spot in the outfield. They signed Tyler O'Neill to a three-year contract, but there is still a need for a left-handed power bat on the O's roster with the departure of Santander, which seemingly belongs to Kjerstad.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias is on the record stating that Kjerstad is a front-runner to earn a spot on the 26-man roster out of camp, and that "he's kind of earned the right to get a lot of at-bats in the corner outfield and in the DH spot." While the opening day outfield likely consists of Colton Cowser, Tyler O'Neill, and Cedric Mullins, Kjerstad will be a solid platoon option that likely takes over a full-time role when injuries become an issue.

In Kjerstad's 52 big league games across the last two seasons, he has posted a .746 OPS, but what really sticks out about him is his batted ball metrics. He has a career barrel% of 9.2, a 46.0 hardhit%, and a 90.7 average EV, all of which are above league-average. There's a lot power upside in his bat, and he has also been praised for his ability to hit left-handed pitching well.

Kjerstad is projected for 454 plate appearances in 2025 with 15 home runs and a .768 OPS, so I view him as a solid bench option for fantasy purposes that you can plug in to your lineup a few times a week.