Once-promising outfielder Jarred Kelenic facing grim reality with White Sox
SAN DIEGO — Outfielder Jarred Kelenic is again the place he desires to be: within the main leagues with the White Sox.
He did not play within the Sox’ 8-2 victory Friday in opposition to the Padres that prolonged their successful streak to 4 video games, however he wasn’t at Triple-A Charlotte, both.
The Sox and Kelenic, whom the Mets chosen with the No. 6 total choose of the 2018 draft, had excessive hopes in spring coaching. But he did not make the crew.
”I assumed the message was fairly clear,” Kelenic, 26, mentioned earlier than the Sox’ victory, which was fueled by Noah Schultz’s six scoreless innings and Munetaka Murakami’s three-run residence run. ”Really deal with controlling the strike zone. They had been actually excessive on my expertise. They knew that so long as I started controlling the strike zone and getting my ‘A’ swing out, good issues would occur.”
The changes he made apparently had been adequate. Kelenic was known as up when the Sox put Everson Pereira on the injured listing Wednesday with a strained muscle on the fitting facet of his chest.
It wasn’t as if Kelenic was lighting up the minor leagues. In 26 video games, he hit .202 with six residence runs, 18 RBI, 16 runs scored and 7 stolen bases.
But the majority of these numbers got here in his final 10 video games, when he hit .333 (12-for-36) with 5 homers, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored.
Kelenic pinch-hit within the ninth inning of the Sox’ 3-2, 10-inning victory Wednesday in opposition to the Angels at Rate Field and struck out swinging. He batted .179 in spring coaching earlier than the Sox demoted him.
”It was a tricky choice to ship him down,” supervisor Will Venable mentioned. ”He hadn’t actually tapped into his finest swing. He did some good issues defensively. He clicked on a few balls on the plate in camp, however he wasn’t one of the best model of himself.
”He went down, struggled just a little bit early however did some high quality work to get himself again on monitor to be one of the best model of himself. And that is what we anticipate to get out of him now.”
Despite being drafted by the Mets, Kelenic by no means performed for them. He was traded to the Mariners on Dec. 3, 2018, within the deal that despatched second baseman Robinson Cano and nearer Edwin Diaz to the Mets.
Things, nonetheless, did not develop effectively for Kelenic. The Mariners had been excited to get him, however he batted a mixed .168 with 167 strikeouts in 147 video games in 2021 and 2022.
He had performed so poorly that in mid-2023 he fractured his left foot kicking a Gatorade cooler within the residence dugout out of frustration. It was then on to the Braves, nevertheless it did not work out for him with them, both.
The Sox is likely to be his ultimate stand.
”The recreation is difficult,” Kelenic instructed the Sun-Times throughout spring coaching. ”The recreation sucks generally, man. It’ll beat you down. But you’ve got simply obtained to stay to your strengths and superpowers. Ride with these and have as a lot confidence as you’ll be able to in your self in a recreation the place you are set as much as fail.”
If he fails once more, the time is likely to be coming for a profession change. He was one of many highest-drafted gamers ever from Wisconsin, regardless of by no means taking part in for Waukesha West High School, and turned down a scholarship provide to play faculty ball at Louisville after he was drafted by the Mets.
It has been a downhill slog ever since, and it was simply one other blow when the Sox instructed Kelenic he hadn’t made the crew this spring. It was Charlotte or bust.
”I feel one thing like that may be disappointing for anyone,” he mentioned Friday. ”But it is baseball. It’s the trade. The solely choice to make the crew was to go down and focus by myself recreation, deal with what makes me nice.”
