Mariners send ex-Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic to minors
Seattle Mariners right fielder Jarred Kelenic dives for the ball during the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Seattle. Credit: AP/Jason Redmond
Jarred Kelenic, the young outfield prospect the Mets sent to Seattle as part of the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade in 2018, was supposed to make his Citi Field debut this weekend in the Mariners’ first-ever visit to the ballpark.
The Mariners made the trip from Seattle with Kelenic but then demoted him to Triple-A Tacoma in a move announced on Friday afternoon.
Kelenic, 22, was hitting .140 with three home runs and a .509 OPS.
In 2021, Kelenic hit .181 with 14 home runs and a .615 OPS. The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft endured a hitless streak of 42 plate appearances.
The only piece of Brodie Van Wagenen’s first big trade as Mets general manager who is involved in this series is Diaz, who visited with some of his former Seattle teammates before the game.
Freeport’s Justin Dunn, who also went to Seattle in the deal, was traded to the Reds in March. The righthander is out with a shoulder injury.
The Mariners last played the Mets in New York in 2008 in the final season of Shea Stadium.
Rocker signs with independent team
Another former Mets high draft pick was in the news on Friday.
Pitcher Kumar Rocker, the 10th overall pick last year who the Mets did not sign because of the team’s concerns about a supposed elbow injury, signed with the independent Frontier League’s Tri-City ValleyCats.
Rocker, who starred at Vanderbilt, will enter this July’s draft. Signing with the Troy, N.Y.-based ValleyCats allows the 22-year-old righthander to showcase his stuff ahead of the draft.
The Mets received a compensation pick in this year’s draft (11th overall) after deciding not to sign Rocker. The Mets also have the 14th pick.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
