The Atlanta Braves are no strangers to having to cut loose players that they'd had high hopes for at one point in time. Outfielder Jarred Kelenic was one of those players that the organization hoped would click with a change of scenery. Ahead of the 2024 season, the Braves completed a trade with the Mariners. Atlanta received Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White in exchange for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips.
Kelenic was the landmark piece in the trade as Gonzales and White found their way to different teams shortly after. There were some glimmers of the player the Braves hoped the lefty would be. Unfortunately, his time in Atlanta wasn't very good. Kelenic played in 155 games over two years with a .222/.279/.381 slash line. He had 105 hits, including 20 doubles, 17 homers, 47 RBI, and a .660 OPS.
That poor performance forced the Braves to outright Kelenic after the 2025 season. He soon selected free agency and landed with the White Sox on a minor league deal for 2026.
Jarred Kelenic's DFA from White Sox proved that the Braves were right to move on
Unfortunately, that experience has been more of the same for the Wisconsin native. He started the season at Triple-A and played decently enough to convince Chicago to give him a shot at the MLB level once more.
However, the White Sox made the same mistake as the Braves. After Kelenic played in 19 games, he continued to strike out almost 34% of the time. His slash line was exactly what you'd expect at .226/.305/.321 with an 81 wRC+.
This led to the White Sox designating Kelenic for assignment on Monday morning. Chicago will have a few days to see if they can find a trade partner, or Kelenic will clear waivers and potentially elect free agency. The writing seems to be on the wall for the former top prospect as he just cannot seem to figure things out at the big league level.
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