PHOENIX, Ariz. — Early in spring training, general manager Mike Elias set the stage for Heston Kjerstad’s season, but he did so with a major caveat. Elias said the Orioles outfielder “earned the right to get a lot of at-bats in the corner outfield and in the DH spot,” but those at-bats would come “specifically against right-handed pitching.”

That was mid-February, before outfielder Colton Cowser suffered a fractured thumb that sideline him for at least six to eight weeks. The roster construction has changed, yet — or so it appears — the outlook for Kjerstad hasn’t.

The Orioles’ propensity for platoon matchups is well documented. At times, such as Sunday, when manager Brandon Hyde’s lineup was heavy on right-handed hitters, it leads to frustration from a fan base hoping this season will lead to greater results.

It still boggles the mind, however, when circumstances change and the opportunities ahead of Kjerstad and other young left-handed hitters don’t. The Orioles maintain an analytics-driven approach to roster construction, and that extends to lineup creation. It’s hard to analyze, though, when there is little data to study.

It was understandable when Kjerstad and infielder Jackson Holliday sat against Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet last week. He’s an ace (although his career numbers against lefties and righties are almost equal).

There were more questions when Kjerstad and Holliday sat in a right-handed-heavy lineup Sunday against Kansas City Royals southpaw Kris Bubic, who is historically more challenging for righties to face. Entering Sunday, Bubic held right-handed hitters to a career .262 average. Left-handed hitters held a .305 average and .900 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

But Kjerstad sat. So did Holliday and Cedric Mullins. And while the result might not have changed with that trio in the lineup, the one run produced against Kansas City on Sunday didn’t prove that strategy correct.

“It’s more of, ‘We acquired and signed right-handed guys to face left-handed starters and we’re gonna give them an opportunity, especially early in the year here, to hopefully handle left-handed pitching for us.‘” manager Brandon Hyde said.

Holliday and Kjerstad are performing better overall to start the season than some of those right-handed bats. Jorge Mateo is hitless in 11 at-bats. Ramón Laureano has one knock in 10 plate appearances. Gary Sánchez is 1-for-13.

Kjerstad, especially, is an interesting case. The former first-round pick has been part of a platoon in every major league stint thus far. But the statistics don’t support that treatment — in 22 career plate appearances against lefties, Kjerstad has a .333 average and .745 OPS; he’s hitting .240 against righties.

The difference in pitching from the minors to the majors is vast, so his results at Triple-A Norfolk aren’t a guarantee of success with Baltimore. Still, Kjerstad had no trouble in left-on-left matchups last year, either, with a .273 average.

On Saturday, Kjerstad stayed in against left-hander Sam Long and came through with an RBI single. Kjerstad again made solid contact in the ninth inning, with a 98-mph line drive off lefty Daniel Lynch IV, though a slick play by left fielder MJ Melendez turned it into a double play.

Plus, Kjerstad has been cast into a pinch-hitting role frequently throughout his minimal time in the majors — a role much different than those most high-ranking prospects have received in Baltimore. Kjerstad has been a pinch hitter in 11.6% of his 147 career plate appearances (his .294 average in those situations is well above the .209 league average for pinch hitters in 2024).

In a smaller sense, Holliday has also been sheltered from left-handed starters, although he’s received 12 career starts in those situations compared to Kjerstad’s three. Holliday has yet to find success in left-on-left matchups; he’s hitting .130 with a .463 OPS in those situations. But much of that includes Holliday’s tepid 2024 against pitchers of either handedness, and in the minors Holliday more than held his own against southpaws.

Last week, Hyde said “we’ll see how the year plays out,” when it comes to how frequently Holliday would start against lefties.

Ten games into the young season, Holliday is 2-for-6 against southpaw pitchers.

For both of them, though, there comes a sink-or-swim reality. How will they improve without those chances?

If the Orioles are serious about Kjerstad and Holliday becoming everyday players, more starts against left-handed pitching are imperative.