ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jarred Kelenic is on his fourth team in four seasons, appearing in the big leagues for a second franchise this year after joining each club on a minor league contract.If that sounds a bit like a 30-something journeyman, it’s not. Kelenic made his first start for the Texas Rangers in left field against San Diego on Saturday, a little less than a month before his 27th birthday.“I mean, I broke into the league at 25,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “And I was not nearly as talented as him.”In 2021, Kelenic was one of the top prospects in baseball when he debuted for Seattle as a 21-year-old about 2 1/2 years after he was the primary piece for the Mariners in a trade that sent Robinson Canó and Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets.Kelenic, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, hit .168 in his first 500 at-bats over two seasons with the Mariners, then was coming off a solid third year with Seattle when he was traded to Atlanta before the 2024 season.
After hitting .222 over two years with the Braves, Kelenic signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training with the Chicago White Sox this year and began the year with Triple-A Charlotte.
