Braves option Jarred Kelenic to minor leagues, bring back Eddie Rosario

The Atlanta Braves optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday and signed free-agent Eddie Rosario to fill his spot on the active roster.

Kelenic was recently the subject of controversy after not running hard on a fly ball he believed was a home run in an April 19 game. The ball hit off the top of the right-field wall, and Kelenic was thrown out at second base when he likely would’ve been easily safe.

Braves manager Brian Snitker did not pull Kelenic from the game for his effort, which got the attention of 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who posted on social media, “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.”

Acuña’s post was later deleted. Yet plenty of people saw it, and it was brought to Snitker’s attention for the implications of a double standard in how he handled similar situations with Acuña, particularly benching the star outfielder in 2019 for not running out what he believed was a home run and settling for a single.

However, Kelenic has struggled this season, batting .167 with a .531 OPS, two home runs and two doubles in 65 plate appearances. That continued his subpar performance from 2024, during which he hit .231 with a .679 OPS, 15 homers and 45 RBI.

Kelenic was once considered one of MLB’s top prospects after the New York Mets made him their first-round pick in 2018 (No. 6 overall). Dealt to the Seattle Mariners as part of the Robinson Cano trade, he failed to fulfill expectations in three seasons, compiling a .204 batting average and .656 OPS with 32 home runs and 109 RBI. Kelenic was traded to the Braves before the 2024 season.

2021 NLCS MVP returns to Atlanta

Bringing Rosario back should be a popular move with Braves fans, considering his three seasons during which he won NLCS MVP on Atlanta’s run to the 2021 World Series championship. During his career with the Braves, Rosario batted .236 with a .699 OPS, 36 homers and 123 RBI. In the 2021 NLCS versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rosario hit .560 (14-for-25) with three homers and nine RBI in the six-game series.

Rosario signed with the Dodgers and began the season in Triple-A before being called up when Shohei Ohtani went on the paternity list. He was designated for assignment when Ohtani returned and opted for free agency rather than returning to the minors.

With Oklahoma City, Rosario batted .339 with a .948 OPS in 69 plate appearances. In two games with the Dodgers, he went 1-for-4 as a designated hitter.

With the emergence of Eli White (.273 average, .897 OPS) and strong performance from Alex Verdugo (.331 average, .841 OPS), Rosario is expected to be a bench player for the Braves and will likely be released again when Acuña is activated from the injured list after recovering from his torn ACL.