Jarred Kelenic’s swing changes have the White Sox intrigued — but roster math and outfield competition mean he’ll have to earn his way onto the Opening Day squad.
For a non-roster invite to spring training on a minor league deal, there certainly seems to be a lot of hype internally about Chicago White Sox outfielder Jarred Kelenic.
That’s been the case from the moment Kelenic signed with the White Sox. The club even held an introductory Zoom press conference with Kelenic and the media — which isn’t common practice for depth pieces on minor league deals, but probably speaks to how bullish the Sox are on Kelenic’s offensive upside.
Director of hitting Ryan Fuller was a big advocate in the White Sox bringing in Kelenic. He saw a profile with potential and, upon having conversations with Kelenic, recognized a young player with enough self-awareness and drive to implement the necessary swing changes.
Kelenic is switching from a leg kick to a toe tap this offseason — a change that was his own idea before he signed, but one that is fully supported by White Sox hitting instructors.
The organization was also quick to identify adjustments in Kelenic’s posture at the plate that they believe could help his barrel stay in the hitting zone longer, get the bat to the ball quicker, and reduce his near league-worst whiff rate.
If Chicago can work out some of these kinks, they’ll have the same hitter who slugged .494 against fastballs a few years back and has well above-average bat speed that should create easy power.
Some minor league signings are a complete shot in the dark as teams scramble for depth. This isn’t that.
The White Sox have a clear objective with the 26-year-old outfielder and see a path for him to be a big-league contributor on this year’s team.
I think, after identifying just how excited the organization is about Kelenic’s profile, the general consensus among White Sox fans is that Kelenic will be on the big-league roster in some capacity this season.
But it might be easier said than done for him to make the team out of spring training.
As I said before, Kelenic is on a minor league contract. Therefore, he’s not on the 40-man roster and can be optioned to the minor leagues after spring training without consequence.
And when you look at the mix of outfielders with the team, you have your no-brainers like Andrew Benintendi and Austin Hays — and even Luisangel Acuña, who is certain to make the team after headlining the return for Luis Robert Jr.
Looking at depth options, I think Brooks Baldwin has an advantage and a leg up on the rest of the group. He’s a switch hitter with some defensive versatility who had a really strong second half to the 2025 season. The major league track record and upside are there.
The White Sox also have Everson Pereira and Derek Hill fighting for roster spots.
Hill brings lockdown defense and tremendous speed — which could be desirable for a bench outfielder.
Pereira brings similar offensive upside to Kelenic. He’s a former top prospect with a ton of raw power, coming off a season in which he hit 21 home runs in 78 minor league games.
And the real thing here is that both Derek Hill and Everson Pereira are on the 40-man roster without minor league options remaining. If the White Sox tried to send one of them down, they’d risk losing them via waivers.
When you consider the reality that Kelenic probably won’t play much center field and is likely a bench bat if he’s on the team, I’m not sure they’re willing to risk a hit to their outfield depth for Kelenic to make the Opening Day roster and get a few at-bats a week.
He’ll have to really show out in spring training and force the issue… an injury could also be what allows him to make the team.
Before the White Sox Cactus League opener against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon, outfielder Everson Pereira was scratched from the lineup with tightness on his right side. A potential oblique injury that could cost Pereira weeks of spring training was an early fear, but manager Will Venable told the media after Friday’s game that pulling Pereira was strictly precautionary.
“We wanted to make sure we didn’t put him in a tough spot,” Venable said. (via Scott Merkin)
Assuming Pereira returns without missing too much action, Kelenic is back on the outside looking in, in my opinion. But the ball is in his court, with a chance to outperform Pereira, Hill, and maybe even Brooks Baldwin in spring training to fight his way onto the team.
As previously mentioned, a big test will be seeing if Kelenic can cut down on that whiff rate and strikeout rate to make more contact with his new toe tap implemented.
But it’s going to take cutting down on the strikeouts and driving the ball with power to all fields to get him on the Opening Day roster. If the White Sox are going to lose meaningful depth, they’ll need to be convinced Kelenic will be someone taking regular at-bats for them early in the season.