Spring Surge: Kelenic Looks Like Legit Contender For White Sox Roster Spot
The Chicago White Sox took several fliers this offseason, signing a handful of players to minor league deals with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.
One of those signings included a former top-100 prospect, Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic entered spring training with long odds of cracking the Opening Day roster, but a few weeks into camp, he suddenly has a path.
After drawing a pair of walks and scoring two runs during Tuesday’s Cactus League game against the Athletics, his OPS climbed to .841. He is also showcasing some power, posting a .520 slugging percentage across 25 at-bats. This includes two homers and five RBIs over that stretch.
While the sample size remains small and spring training numbers always come with a grain of salt, the early results offer reason for optimism that Kelenic may finally be tapping into the potential that once made him the No. 4 prospect in baseball in 2021.
With White Sox brass indicating they want to make Andrew Benintendi a full-time designated hitter, and top outfield prospect Braden Montgomery still likely a year away from a promotion, the outfield competition is wide open.
If Kelenic hopes to make the roster, he’ll likely need to outperform Derek Hill, who the White Sox claimed off waivers in September, and Tristain Peters, whom the club acquired for cash considerations after he was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays in December.
While Kelenic’s career offensive numbers have been ugly, he has tools that make him an intriguing candidate. He has excellent bat speed and owned a high barrel percentage with the Braves in his last two seasons. He also has a good arm, ranking in the MLB’s 90th percentile in arm strength last season.
Kelenic’s biggest issues have been his high strikeout rate and tendency to chase pitches outside the strike zone. However, the White Sox made significant strides in addressing those weaknesses last season. The White Sox, however, made significant strides last season in addressing those types of offensive struggles. With an overhauled coaching staff now in place and motivation to prove he belongs in the MLB, Kelenic has a real opportunity to refine his approach and correct those flaws.
On Sunday, Kelenic launched his second home run of the Spring, which came after he successfully appealed a would-be strike three call, before taking the next pitch over the right field fence. Sure, it’s still too early to say those issues have been corrected, but it is a step in the right direction.
One of the things that made the Luis Robert Jr. trade for Luisangel Acuna so compelling was the fact that Acuna never truly had a runway to showcase his talents, buried on a Mets roster built to contend for a playoff spot. With the White Sox, he’ll now have the chance to play regularly over a full season in an environment with far less pressure.
Kelenic finds himself in a somewhat similar situation. While his draft pedigree has likely afforded him more chances than most players with a comparable track record, he has spent much of his career trying to find consistent footing on teams with playoff aspirations. In three seasons with the Mariners, he totaled 32 home runs and 109 RBIs while playing on two 90-win Seattle clubs, before being traded to the Braves during the 2023 offseason.
The change of scenery did little to revive his career. Although Kelenic hit a career-high 15 home runs in 2024, he followed it with the worst stretch of his career in 2025, batting .167 in 24 games before being sent down to Triple-A Gwinnett.
From the Chicago White Sox perspective, giving Kelenic a shot on the 26-man roster carries little risk. He’s on a minor league deal, making him easily expendable, and could benefit from being part of a young, energetic roster as he looks to reset his career.
If he gets off to a hot start, he could become a potential trade chip at the deadline, or simply serve as a serviceable placeholder until Montgomery is ready for a promotion.