Jarred Kelenic is back in the major leagues.
The former Mets prospect, who was dealt to the Mariners in a 2018 trade that brought back Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, has struggled in the majors thus far, hitting .140 over 30 games before getting sent down this season. In his return on Sunday, Kelenic struck out in his first at-bat, pinch hitting for Jack Larsen.
Seattle called up both Kelenic and Larsen on Sunday as Julio Rodriguez and Dylan Moore were placed on the IL. The Rodriguez injury in particular hurts, as the rookie leads the Mariners in home runs and is second on the team in OPS.
The deal, which initially looked to have been won by the Mariners as Diaz struggled with the Mets and Cano’s contract was notoriously bad, has now swung the opposite way.
Kelenic, 23, has seen his stock plummet from a top prospect as he’s struggled to catch on in the majors. The Mets cut Cano earlier this year, but Diaz is in the midst of an All-Star season, and has a career-best 1.51 ERA.
Perhaps Kelenic will manage to turn things around at some point. But unless that happens, it seems the Mets have the upper hand.