Rangers Sign Jarred Kelenic To Minor League Deal

The Rangers announced that they have signed outfielder Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal. The client of THE·TEAM will report to Triple-A Round Rock. Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News was among those who passed the news along.

Kelenic, 26, just elected free agency a couple of days ago after being outrighted by the White Sox. He began the year on a minor league deal with that club and posted some encouraging Triple-A numbers. That got him a shot in the majors that he wasn’t able to take advantage of. He struck out in 33.9% of his plate appearances with the Sox and slashed .226/.305/.321 for a wRC+ of 79.

That came in a very small sample of 59 plate appearances but continued a career-long trend for Kelenic. A former sixth overall pick and ballyhooed prospect, he has often put up big numbers on the farm. That has led to many big league chances that he hasn’t capitalized on. He has 1,547 major league plate appearances to this point in his career with a 30.7% strikeout rate. His .211/.283/.374 line translates to an 84 wRC+, indicating he’s been 16% worse than league average on the whole.

That performance has led to him exhausting his option years, which has pushed him into fringe roster territory. He was outrighted by Atlanta at the end of last season and had to settle for a minor league deal with the White Sox. The other 29 clubs just passed on the chance to grab him from the waiver wire and he has been left to sign a minor league deal yet again.

For the Rangers, there’s little harm in adding some extra outfield depth without using a roster spot. They currently have Evan Carter, Brandon Nimmo and Alejandro Osuna taking up most of the outfield playing time, with Michael Helman and Sam Haggerty also in the mix. Carter has missed the past two games after getting hit on the foot by a pitch. Nimmo has battled hamstring and ankle injuries this year.

If they need to reach into their depth, Kelenic could get the call, though guys like Jonah Bride and Nick Pratto are also in the system as non-roster depth. Down the line, they may get pushed down the depth chart, as Wyatt Langford began a rehab assignment this weekend. He has been on the injured list for a little over a month due to a flexor strain. That was initially expected to require a minimal IL stint but has lingered longer than hoped. It’s unclear how long the Rangers want to have him rehabbing but such assignments for position players have a 20-day maximum.