Mariners top prospect Jarred Kelenic will get chance to reset with Triple-A Tacoma
Mariners top prospect Jarred Kelenic returned to Triple-A Tacoma’s lineup Tuesday night ready to get back to work.
His first month in the majors didn’t play out quite as envisioned. He debuted with the Mariners on May 13, and announced his anticipated arrival loudly with three hits the following night, including barreling up a home run for his first hit. But, his production at the plate tailed off in the weeks that followed.
Kelenic appeared in 23 games for the Mariners the past for weeks, hitting .096/.185/.193 with seven runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, three stolen bases and eight walks to 26 strikeouts.
He was hitless in his past 39 at-bats, with 18 strikeouts during that span, when the Mariners optioned him to Tacoma following Sunday’s game in Anaheim, believing a breather back in Triple-A would give the talented young outfielder a chance to reset.
“We just want to take a moment and tap the brakes and give him a chance to just take a breather, and go do the things that he does so well,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said on a video call with reporters Tuesday morning.
“And I’m certain that he’s going to find himself quickly and be back in the big leagues in no time.”
Back in Cheney Stadium for the first time since early May, the 21-year-old rookie, who is considered the No. 4 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, reflected on his month with the big league club following batting practice Tuesday afternoon.
“When you first get called up, there’s a lot of emotions, and there’s just a lot of things that I was trying to learn very quickly, and unfortunately it didn’t go the way I planned, or as anybody really planned,” he said.
“I’m not going to let it ruin me. I know what I’m capable of doing. I know everyone else knows what I’m capable of doing. So, I try to look at it as, it is what it is, it was a fluke and I’ll come down here, get where I need to be and I’ll be back.”
Dipoto said during Kelenic’s early games with the Mariners, he thought the rookie showed an “excellent process” at the plate.
“He was hitting the ball hard, we were seeing good at bats, and they weren’t naturally translating into terrific results, but we saw all of the elements,” Dipoto said. “He was taking his walks, he was working counts, he was swinging at the right pitches and for the most part, that was the overriding takeaway from his first major league opportunity.
“Here in these last 10 days or so you can really see him pressing and coming out of his approach and not doing those same things.”
Kelenic felt he was swinging the bat well early on, but hits still weren’t falling, which in turn led him to press for offensive production.
“Nobody plays good when they’re pressing,” he said. “I think coming down here, taking a step back, I don’t have anything to press about right now, (I can) just get back to who I am.”
Kelenic said he has never endured such a tough spell at the plate in his career as he did the past two weeks with Seattle.
“It wasn’t easy — that’s for sure,” he said. “Obviously it was frustrating all throughout the 39 at-bats. But, I spent a lot of time yesterday, I was in my apartment and I was thinking about it, and it’s a blessing in disguise.
“I’ve already learned a ton from it, and I’m excited to step back and go to work here.”
Kelenic resumed his role as Tacoma’s leadoff hitter and starting center fielder in Tuesday night’s win over Salt Lake.
“Right now my mindset has kind of shifted to I’m just excited to help this team win,” he said.
He didn’t record a hit in his first game back in Tacoma — where he lit up Triple-A pitching in his one week with the Rainiers to open the season — but made solid contact and drove in one run on a long sacrifice fly in his second at-bat.
“I think to come down here, get my at-bats, get confident, get back to who I am, get back to swinging at the pitches that I normally swing at, I think that when I go back, it’ll be just as easy,” Kelenic said.
There is no specific timeline for his eventual return to Seattle, but both Dipoto and Mariners manager Scott Servais noted Tuesday they believe the talented rookie could make his way back to the big league club soon.
“He’s a really young player, and a player that we’re really excited about,” Servais said on his daily video call with reporters Tuesday from Detroit. “Love his talent, his skill set, how he’s wired and what he’s going to do for us here long term with the Mariners.
“But, a lot of young players do need to take a step back once in a while, and I think he’ll be better for it in the long run.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
