After a rough start in Triple-A, Jarred Kelenic caught fire and now gets his shot with the White Sox following Everson Pereira’s injury.
After left-handed pitcher Doug Nikhazy was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox were left with a 40-man roster at 39.
Now, the White Sox plan to take advantage of that open spot by calling up outfielder Jarred Kelenic from Triple-A Charlotte.
Outfielder Everson Pereira left Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels with right shoulder soreness. The White Sox evaluated Pereira, and while he was initially deemed day to day, Chicago ultimately opted to place him on the injured list.
With Pereira on the shelf, Kelenic now gets an opportunity at the MLB level.
The 26-year-old outfielder and Wisconsin native was signed to a minor league deal by the White Sox in January. From the moment they signed him, you could tell the organization was pretty bullish on Kelenic’s skill set. The White Sox even gave him an introductory press conference over Zoom with the media and raved about the potential in his offensive profile that they were hoping to unlock with some mechanical adjustments to his swing.
While I thought he had a good opportunity to make the Opening Day roster, Kelenic wasn't consistent enough in spring training, hitting .179 in 14 Cactus League games.
Then, over the first week of the season with Triple-A Charlotte, Kelenic went 0-for-19 with nine strikeouts. It wasn’t a good sign for the adjustments he made over the offseason or the player he was going to be moving forward.
But ever since that dreary 0-for-19 start, Kelenic has played in 20 games and is batting .262 with six home runs, 17 RBIs, and six stolen bases over that span. He’s made the adjustments and is starting to show some of the upside the White Sox were betting on when they signed him.
As first reported by Ian Eskridge of Future Sox, Kelenic has now earned himself an opportunity with the MLB club and has been called up to join the White Sox for the upcoming West Coast trip, including a weekend series in San Diego.
If he continues to hit, there will definitely be an opportunity for Kelenic to stick around on the MLB roster even after Pereira returns. There is always room for a lefty with offensive upside. And with a player like Tristan Peters having minor league options remaining, there was no reason the White Sox couldn’t send him back to Charlotte while giving Kelenic an extended look. He would likely bring more to the team offensively than Peters has this season.