The Jarred Kelenic era in Atlanta may be nearing its end. On Monday, the Braves optioned the struggling outfielder to Triple-A Gwinnett and signed veteran Eddie Rosario to a major-league deal to take his place on the roster. Despite Kelenic’s pedigree as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft and once being a top-5 prospect, his poor performance made this move inevitable.
Kelenic, 25, was batting just .167 with two solo home runs and a .231 on-base percentage through 65 plate appearances this season. He struck out in over 35% of those trips to the plate, significantly higher than his already concerning 30.6% career mark. His -0.5 bWAR further highlights how much he’s struggled, and unless something changes dramatically, this experiment seems to have failed for both the Braves and his former team, the Mariners.
Atlanta acquired Kelenic after the 2023 season, taking on more than $20 million in salary commitments from Seattle in the process. At the time, Kelenic was coming off a respectable 2.1 bWAR year. However, his overall body of work has disappointed. In parts of three seasons with the Mariners, he hit just .204 with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a weak .656 OPS. His rough 2021 debut season—when he posted a -1.6 bWAR across 93 games—foreshadowed the rocky road ahead.
Seattle originally acquired Kelenic from the Mets in a 2018 deal that sent Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó to New York. While Díaz has had some ups and downs, he’s saved 123 games for the Mets with a strong 2.38 postseason ERA. The Mariners, at least, offloaded Canó, who was suspended for PED use in 2021 and has since faded from MLB.
As for Kelenic’s future, a return to the majors isn’t out of the question—he could be back in Atlanta soon if injuries strike the outfield before Ronald Acuña Jr. returns. Still, few would have predicted in spring that Alex Verdugo, not Kelenic, would be a regular in the Braves’ lineup by May.
Indeed, it’s a strange turn of events for Atlanta.
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