Jarred

Kelenic

There must be something about the Rangers that keeps bringing Kelenic back. The 27-year-old former elite prospect hit the open market to gauge his options earlier this week before deciding to head back to Triple-A Round Rock. Apparently, no other teams were interested.

This isn’t performance related, as the 27-year-old Kelenic was hitting .404/.469/.684 for Triple-A Round Rock this month. So, he must be receiving interest from another major league team or perhaps a club in Asia. Kelenic hit .213/.304/.295 in 69 plate appearances for the White Sox and Rangers in major league stints earlier this season.

After electing free agency earlier in the week, Kelenic is back with the Rangers on a minor league deal. He’ll report back to Triple-A Round Rock where he’ll continue to function as extra outfield depth for the Rangers until another need arises in Arlington.

Kelenic passed through waivers unclaimed after going 1-for-8 during a seven-game stint with Texas. The 26-year-old was one of the more promising prospects in the game just a couple years ago, but has yet to find sustained success at the major-league level. He’ll likely continue to get opportunities as a reclamation project, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to envision him developing into an impact fantasy contributor at this stage.

Kelenic’s stint with the Rangers wound up lasting just over one week where he finished 1-for-8 at the dish across seven games. The 26-year-old former top prospect figures to pass through waivers unclaimed and will likely wind up electing free agency to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Kelenic was signed to a minor league contract on July 1 after he slashed a miserable .226/.305/.321 with 20 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances with the White Sox. He’ll see most of his action against right-handed pitching for the Rangers.

Kelenic was cut by the Rangers last week after hitting .226/.305/.321 and striking out 20 times in 59 plate appearances. That’s obviously not very impressive, but it’s interesting that he did have eight barrels and a 55 percent hard-hit rate. Statcast gave him an xSLG of .526. He’ll head to Triple-A for now, but he could see time in the Texas outfield later.

Kelenic will test the free agent waters instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. The 26-year-old former top prospect passed through waivers unclaimed after being jettisoned from Chicago’s roster earlier this week. He hit an underwhelming .226/.305/.321 with one homer and four RBI in 59 plate appearances during a 19-game stint with the White Sox this season.

Kelenic is not all that long removed from being considered among the top prospects in baseball, but to say it hasn’t worked out — with the exception of about half a season with Seattle — is an understatement. The 26-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and if he goes unclaimed, he can report back to Triple-A Charlotte or test free agency.

Kelenic is back in right field and hitting seventh after being scratched from Friday’s lineup with a lower back contusion. The 26-year-old former top prospect is hitting a pedestrian .224/.309/.306 with one homer and four RBI in 55 plate appearances over 17 games for the White Sox this season.