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Rangers release former top-five prospect amid continued MLB struggles originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jarred Kelenic is a free agent once again.
According to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports, the Texas Rangers released the former top prospect on Sunday, ending Kelenic’s time with the Rangers organization after less than two months.
After being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox in May and signing a minor league deal with Texas on June 2, the 27-year-old outfielder earned a promotion to the Rangers’ major league roster later that month. He appeared in seven games but recorded just one hit in eight at-bats before being designated for assignment. Kelenic elected free agency and returned to Texas on another minor league contract.
The release does not appear to be related to performance at the minor league level, as Kelenic was hitting .374 with a 1.105 OPS, 5 home runs, and 11 doubles in 27 games at Round Rock this season. Overall, he has posted a .298/.403/.571 slash line in 227 Triple-A plate appearances so far in 2026. His major league struggles, however, have continued. Between his time with the White Sox and Rangers this season, Kelenic hit .213 with a .539 OPS in 69 plate appearances.
Kelenic was selected No. 6 overall by the New York Mets in the 2018 MLB Draft and was ranked as a top-five prospect in baseball by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America during his time in the minor leagues. The Mets traded him to the Seattle Mariners in December 2018 as part of the deal that brought Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz to New York. Kelenic made his MLB debut with Seattle in 2021 and struggled to establish himself before showing flashes of his potential in 2023, hitting .253 with 11 home runs and an OPS+ of 111.
However, he never consistently found success at the major league level. After being traded to the Atlanta Braves ahead of the 2024 season, Kelenic hit .220 with a .660 OPS over two seasons before signing with the White Sox earlier this year.
As this latest chapter of his career comes to a close, Kelenic will look for his next opportunity in professional baseball, whether at the major league level or internationally.
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