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Jarred Kelenic’s latest attempt to find major league success will take him to the Windy City.
The former top Mets prospect has signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, as first reported by ESPN.
The non-roster contract comes with an invitation to major league spring training.
Kelenic, still just 26 years old, was drafted sixth overall by the Mets in the 2018 MLB Draft, quickly ascended 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-hitting outfielder has consistently struggled at the plate.
Kelenic owns a disappointing .211/.282/.376 slash line across five MLB seasons, along with an eye-popping 30.6 percent strikeout rate.
The Wisconsin native seemingly turned a corner in 2023 with Seattle, slashing a solid .253/.327/.419 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs in 105 games — but it came with some self-inflicted controversy.
Kelenic broke his left foot in July of that season after kicking a water cooler in frustration, which sidelined him until mid-September amid the best stretch of his career.
“I just feel terrible, especially for the guys,” an emotional Kelenic told reporters after the incident. “I let emotions get the best of me, and I just let them down 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 swatted a career-high 15 home runs, he continued to whiff at a prolific rate (29.6 percent) in 2024.
The 2025 season was a disaster for Kelenic as he hit a meager .167 in just 24 games — while also being called out by Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. for an egregious lack of hustle.
Kelenic spent most of 2025 in the minors, hitting a paltry .213 with just four homers in 95 contests with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Chicago has had 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 with the team reportedly shopping possible Mets target Luis Robert Jr., that could open up a path to playing time.
