Jarred Kelenic is getting closer to Seattle.
The Mariners’ 19-year-old top prospect was promoted to High-A Modesto on Tuesday, an advanced promotion for a teenager in his first full season of professional baseball.
Kelenic, a left-handed-hitting center fielder, was acquired over the winter as the centerpiece in the Mariners’ blockbuster trade of Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets — and a central figure in the club’s “step-back” plan.
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and farm director Andy McKay have said they wouldn’t rush Kelenic’s advancement through the minor leagues — they would promote him only when it was clear he was ready.