The Atlanta Braves have been on a roll lately, minus a tough loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. However, much of that has to do with how they responded to a challenge, specifically from their star player Ronald Acuña Jr. While Acuña Jr. is still recovering from injury and should be back with the team sometime this month, Jarred Kelenic put them in a bind.
Yes, Kelenic didn't run hard out of the box in an April 19 game against the Minnesota Twins. By now you know what happened next. Brian Snitker didn't see the play live, evidently, and thus didn't bench Kelenic. Ronald Acuña Jr. took offense on social media, saying that if he were the baserunner in that situation, he would've been benched. And you know what? Acuña Jr. was right, as that happened to him in 2019.
Kelenic hasn't earned the right to jog around the basepaths, even if he made a mistake. This is doubly true given he was hitting .174 at the time. The bad news for Kelenic is he is still hitting under the Mendoza line, and has since been optioned to Gwinnett.
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Jarred Kelenic is a project for the Braves, but he's not worth the time
The Braves hope Kelenic can find his swing there, but the far more likely scenario is that his days as an everday outfielder in Atlanta are over. Acuña Jr. will come back, and with the way Alex Verdugo is hitting, there's little need to bring Kelenic into the fold. It would only cause a dip in offensive production, or worse – drama.
Verdugo got his chance in part thanks to Kelenic's struggles, and also Jurickson Profar's PED suspension. He's hit .341 so far in limited action for the Braves, but is clearly a starting corner outfielder for this team.
“Obviously, being at the top of the lineup, kind of instantly thrown into it, get on base, have good at-bats, things like that. And I think for me it feels good to get some hits," Verdugo said. “It feels good."
The Braves have better outfield options than Kelenic at their disposal. The former Mariners top prospect once had a ton of promise, and was traded to Atlanta as a reclamation project. Alex Anthopoulos thought he swindled another team for spare parts.
Unfortunately, that has been far from the case in 2025. Kelenic has a ton of talent, but he hasn't unlocked it in Atlanta. It might be best for both sides to part ways barring a surprising turnaround in Gwinnett.