Jarred Kelenic has officially entered the part of a baseball career that many thought would be impossible back when Seattle Mariners fans were counting down the days to his debut: he’s a non-roster invite on a minor league deal, trying to play his way back into relevance with the Chicago White Sox.
For Mariners fans, the name still hits a nerve. Kelenic was supposed to be the prospect. The guy who sat top-five on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list heading into 2021, right there in the same oxygen as the sport’s future faces. Seattle spent years selling patience, upside, and stardom.