Report: Mariners expected to promote top prospect Kelenic on Thursday
The Seattle Mariners are expected to promote outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic to the major-league club on Thursday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.
He's Seattle's top-ranked prospect, and Kelenic is currently considered the league's fourth-best overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Entering Monday, Kelenic was 8-for-18 (.444) with two home runs, five RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases through four games in Triple-A. He hadn't played above Double-A until this spring.
Some controversy emerged earlier this year when Kelenic and his agent said they felt the team was manipulating the 21-year-old's service time and punishing him for not signing a long-term contract extension. GM Jerry Dipoto disputed that assertion.
Nevertheless, Kelenic appears poised to make his MLB debut in Seattle when the team returns from its current road trip for a weekend series against the Cleveland Indians.
The New York Mets originally selected Kelenic sixth overall in the 2018 draft. He was later traded to the Mariners alongside Justin Dunn, Jay Bruce, Gerson Bautista, and Anthony Swarzak in exchange for closer Edwin Diaz and second baseman Robinson Cano.