Recent White Sox castoff has already found a new home with the Rangers

The road to success has been a bumpy one for former sixth-overall pick Jarred Kelenic. Originally drafted by the Mets, Kelenic was dealt to Seattle after just 12 games of rookie ball. He reached the big leagues with the Mariners but failed to produce consistently at the highest level, and his career made stops in Atlanta and Chicago. As optimistic as the White Sox were when they signed him to a minor league deal this offseason, Kelenic was unable to make an impact at the big league level and was designated for assignment last week. Just a week after his time in Chicago came to an end, Kelenic has found a new home. 

Kelenic, 26, played in 19 games for the White Sox this season, slashing .226/.305/.321 with a .626 OPS. He struck out 20 times and walked six times in 59 plate appearances. Kelenic may’ve been starting to heat up a bit over his final few games, hitting .300 with a double from May 19- May 24 before being designated for assignment. Kelenic was not claimed on waivers and elected free agency instead of accepting a minor league assignment to Charlotte. Just one day later, he agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers and has been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Kelenic's power potential has never been backed up by consistent contact

The Rangers become the fourth team to take a shot on Kelenic, whose draft pedigree and upside have always outweighed his production on the field. His power is undeniable. His lone home run with the White Sox travelled 446 feet and he maintained strong exit velocity numbers despite the results not showing up on the field. Kelenic’s primary problem has always been the ability to make contact consistently. He struck out in 33.9% of his at bats this season with the White Sox, only slightly down from his 35% mark with the Braves in 2025. Even in his best pro season in Seattle in 2023, Kelenic struck out 31.7% of the time. He simply hasn’t been able to make enough contact to make the power worth it. 

With the Rangers dealing with injuries in their outfield, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kelenic get a shot there soon. Alejandro Osuna is currently taking primary reps in left field, and he’s posted just a .615 career OPS, so the Rangers could be looking for another option soon. 

I wasn’t sure of the logic behind letting Kelenic go with players like Luisangel Acuna still on the roster, but the White Sox clearly felt that they weren’t going to get anything more out of Kelenic than they got in his 19 games with the team. Now the Rangers are the latest team to believe they can. Only time will tell if the Rangers can be the team to finally resurrect his dying career or if they’ll be the latest to learn a difficult lesson. 

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