Why did the Braves pull the plug on young OF Jarred Kelenic?

DENVER — The Atlanta Braves temporarily pulled the plug on the Jarred Kelenic experiment. Now it's up to the 25-year-old outfielder to prove himself in Triple-A.

Before the Braves opened a three-game series in Denver against the Colorado Rockies, Kelenic was optioned to Triple-A as Atlanta reunited with outfielder Eddie Rosario on a Major League contact after Rosario was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers and he elected free agency.

"I think it will be good for Jared to go back and play, get at-bats, and Eddie can come here and maybe handle some of the left-handed pinch-hitting," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said before Monday's game. "He's done that before, been very successful at it. So it's good to get when you get an experienced guy like that."

Rosario returns to the Braves after being a key piece of their 2021 World Series-winning squad. He earned National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player honors after slashing .560/.607/1.040 in 28 plate appearances against the Dodgers.

"It's good to be back with teammates, coaches, and people I'm familiar with," Rosario said through an interpreter. "We've had a lot of good moments here. I think there are always highs and lows, but I'm thankful to be here right now."

Coming to the Braves in a trade before the 2024 season began, Kelenic's time in Atlanta has been disappointing. In 514 plate appearances over 154 games, Kelenic has slashed .222/.279/.381 and posted an OPS+ of 84 (MLB average is 100).

Kelenic also drew recent criticism for a base running error that turned into a public relations fiasco for the Braves after injured Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. chimed in on social media about Atlanta's treatment of Kelenic's mental mistake.

With Eli White stepping up as one of the hot bats for Atlanta's outfield in a small sample size, slashing .273/.351/.545 in 37 plate appearances, Snitker believed the Braves have options while Kelenic gets a chance to learn with consistent at-bats at Triple-A Gwinnett.

"Eli has been done really well," Snitker said. "He has had great at-bats, and he's a skilled guy. Jarred has options so he can go back down and play. We'll probably run him around all the outfield positions and get him regular at-bats, and that'll be good for him."