Jarred Kelenic’s latest attempt at Major League success brings him to the Windy City.
The former Mets star has signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, as first reported by ESPN.
The non-roster contract includes an invitation to Major League spring training.
Still just 26 years old, Kelenic was drafted sixth overall by the Mets in the 2018 MLB Draft and quickly rose to be ranked as the organization’s third-best prospect by MLB.com.
The Mets traded Kelenic to the Mariners in December 2018 in a blockbuster seven-player trade that brought Robinson Cano and the recently departed Edwin Díaz to Queens.
He made his MLB debut with the Mariners in May 2021, but the speedy, left-handed outfielder has consistently struggled at the plate.
Kelenic has a disappointing .211/.282/.376 slash line over five MLB seasons, along with an eye-popping 30.6 percent strikeout rate.
The Wisconsin native appeared to be turning around with Seattle in 2023, hitting a solid .253/.327/.419 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 105 games — but that came with some self-inflicted controversy.
Kelenic broke his left foot in July of that season after kicking a water cooler in frustration, sidelining him for the best part of his career until mid-September.
“I just feel terrible, especially for the boys,” an emotional Kelenic told reporters after the incident. “I let emotions get the better of me, and I just abandon them and take full responsibility – it’s on me, it just can’t happen.”
Seattle traded Kelenic to the Braves in the offseason and he eventually became Atlanta’s everyday center fielder.
While Kelenic hit 15 career home runs, he continued to whiff at a productive pace (29.6 percent) in 2024.
The 2025 season was a disaster for Kelenic, as he hit a paltry .167 in just 24 games – while also being called up by Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. due to a glaring lack of crowds.
Kelenic spent most of 2025 in the minors, hitting a paltry .213 with just four home runs in 95 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Chicago is coming off a busy offseason, signing fellow ex-Mets prospect Anthony Kay along with Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
Kelenic figures to provide depth for the White Sox, but now the team is reportedly targeting possible Mets target Luis Robert Jr. could buy, that could open a path to playing time.
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