Former Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic traded to Atlanta
Seattle leftfielder Jarred Kelenic reaches up to catch a fly ball by Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe on Sept. 24, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. The Mariners traded former Mets prospect Kelenic to Atlanta on Sunday night.
Credit: AP/Tony Gutierrez
The Mets once had high hopes for prized prospect Jarred Kelenic. Now they'll get to see him up close when they face NL East rival Atlanta.
Atlanta acquired Kelenic, pitcher Marco Gonzales and infielder Evan White from the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night for righthanded pitchers Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar.
Kelenic, 24, is the big piece going to Atlanta in the deal. He was chosen by the Mets in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft, becoming the sixth overall pick, but they traded him along with Gerson Bautista, Jay Bruce, Justin Dunn and Anthony Swarzak to the Mariners for Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz and cash in December 2018. At the time, Kelenic was one of the top prospects in the minors, but his transition to the majors has gone through rough patches.
Last season was the lefthanded-hitting Kelenic’s first extended stretch as a starter with the Mariners. He missed almost two months after fracturing his foot kicking a cooler in the dugout and wound up hitting .253 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs in 105 games. He has hit 32 home runs and struck out 299 times in 872 at-bats in three major-league seasons, recording a .656 OPS.
