The Texas Rangers made a notable roster move on Friday, optioning a lineup regular to Triple-A for a former first-round pick who hasn’t panned out.
According to an announcement from the AL West club, infielder Josh Smith was optioned to the minors. He helped the Rangers win a World Series title in 2023 but has struggled at the plate in 2026.
Taking Smith’s place on the roster is outfielder Jarred Kelenic. At just 26 years old, there’s still time for the left-handed hitter to turn his career around.
But the results from the last few seasons have not been pretty.
Kelenic has a .656 OPS since making his debut in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners, spending the past few seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
He joined the Chicago White Sox on a minor league deal during the offseason, but he managed relatively unimpressive numbers in 19 games, hitting .226/.305/.321 with one homer and 20 strikeouts in 59 trips to the plate.
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Kelenic’s 84 OPS+ indicates he’s performed 16 percent worse than the league-average hitter over 426 games. He signed a minor league deal with Texas at the beginning of June.
The Rangers are hoping for a hot spurt after a Triple-A stint in which he hit .340 with three long balls in 13 games.
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