White Sox sign Jarred Kelenic, non-roster invite

[Y2Jimmy0]

I wrote about Kelenic today: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/01/01/white-sox-add-jarred-kelenic-to-jumbl/

[chitownsportsfan]

29 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I wrote about Kelenic today: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/01/01/white-sox-add-jarred-kelenic-to-jumbl/

The problem with Kelenic, and this has been true ever since his first MLB season in Seattle, is that he's incapable of playing CF and is in fact a below average corner player as well. He's -16 runs below average in a corner for his career. 

It's fine to pencil in 240/300/400 as a cromulent CF or even an above avg corner OF, but being below average puts so much pressure on his bat. Very similar profile to Beni imo. Kelenic has a much better arm but their sprint speed and range metrics are similar.

Beni was objectively pretty fast when he was in his mid 20s according to statcast, but has fallen off to below 50th percentile in his 30s. Kelenic, either through injury or just premature aging, was a horrific 19th percentile in sprint speed last year. He was 70th percentile just a couple years ago. Something has sapped his athletic ability. 

And because this is a forum and not a court of law I'd speculate he was a juicer in his late teens and early 20s and for whatever reason has stopped. A shorter guy carrying 200 lbs that "naturally" as a teen isn't usual.

I'm not sure there's any there there, which of course is why he's basically a NRI at this point in his career. For a former 6th overall pick that's gross. Maybe it lights a fire under him and he finds that stroke and athletic ability again. I highly, highly doubt it. He'll probably be cut in camp imo.

[WhiteSox2023]

3 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I wrote about Kelenic today: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/01/01/white-sox-add-jarred-kelenic-to-jumbl/

Good article.  Thanks for sharing.  So you think the Sox want to give Kelenic a shot and would only add another cheap outfielder at the level of Tauchman/Conforto?

[Y2Jimmy0]

32 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Good article.  Thanks for sharing.  So you think the Sox want to give Kelenic a shot and would only add another cheap outfielder at the level of Tauchman/Conforto?

Yeah I can’t see them adding more than that unless they got someone via trade 

[WhiteSox2023]

5 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Yeah I can’t see them adding more than that unless they got someone via trade 

That’s what I figured.  It wouldn’t make much sense for a young team to acquire Pereira and even Kelenic to then give playing time to older players like Tauchman and Conforto that are already nearing retirement.

Edited 15 hours ago by WhiteSox2023

[Chicago White Sox]

39 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

That’s what I figured.  It wouldn’t make much sense for a young team to acquire Pereira and even Kelenic to then give playing time to older players like Tauchman and Conforto that are already nearing retirement.

Kelenic is on a minor league deal…give him playing time in Charlotte first and see if you can fix him there.  If he performs well, then find him a spot on the major league roster.  I don’t understand the desire to hand a guy who has been bad in the majors across multiple seasons and who was terrible in AAA a starting spot.

Pereira is a different story because he actually was good in AAA and hasn’t had a lot of major league opportunities.  With the lack of options, he should land a major league role to start the season, although I’d probably build the roster around him being a short side partner for Baldwin.

As such, we should probably go sign a LH hitting corner OF to serve as competition and/or a placeholder until someone is deserving of this spot.  If healthy, Tauchman is a perfect fit of what we need.  It’s ok to have veteran stopgaps at a couple of spots.

[ChiSoxFanMike]

Honestly, I’m fine with going cheap in the OF for now as long as they add another decent SP and leverage reliever.

I think some combination of Benintendi/Baldwin/Pereira/Kelenic can hold it down in the corners for the time being.

[WhiteSox2023]

14 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Kelenic is on a minor league deal…give him playing time in Charlotte first and see if you can fix him there.  If he performs well, then find him a spot on the major league roster.  I don’t understand the desire to hand a guy who has been bad in the majors across multiple seasons and who was terrible in AAA a starting spot.

Pereira is a different story because he actually was good in AAA and hasn’t had a lot of major league opportunities.  With the lack of options, he should land a major league role to start the season, although I’d probably build the roster around him being a short side partner for Baldwin.

As such, we should probably go sign a LH hitting corner OF to serve as competition and/or a placeholder until someone is deserving of this spot.  If healthy, Tauchman is a perfect fit of what we need.  It’s ok to have veteran stopgaps at a couple of spots.

Tauchman was limited to 93 games last season due to injuries.  He just turned 35 and he is only going to decline further.  If he wants to accept a minor league deal, fine.

Edited 14 hours ago by WhiteSox2023

[Bob Sacamano]

15 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Tauchman was limited to 93 games last season due to injuries.  He just turned 35 and he is only going to decline further.  If he wants to accept a minor league deal, fine.

He can also barely play the outfield and is painful to watch him run.

[WhiteSox2023]

11 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

He can also barely play the outfield and is painful to watch him run.

Was going to mention his baserunning but wasn’t going to blame that all on his old age, considering he probably came back too early from that hamstring strain and also tore his meniscus.  Either way, he isn’t going to be getting any faster.

[WestEddy]

40 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

As such, we should probably go sign a LH hitting corner OF to serve as competition and/or a placeholder until someone is deserving of this spot.

Don't we have that in Tristan Peters and Dustin Harris?

[Chicago White Sox]

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Don't we have that in Tristan Peters and Dustin Harris?

I mean a veteran who has shown some success in the majors.

[WhiteSox2023]

3 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I mean a veteran who has shown some success in the majors.

How about Alex Verdugo on a cheap one-year deal coming off a bad year?  He has usually hit righties fairly well in his career and I believe he is known for playing pretty good defense in the corners with a strong arm.  He’s still only 29 and made $1.5 million with the Braves last year so I doubt he’s in line for a raise after last season.  Seems like he would be a better stopgap than Tauchman that could actually stay healthy and may actually net a prospect if he has a good first half, until the eventual Braden Montgomery callup.  What other team could potentially give Verdugo starting time in their corners, if Benintendi is truly going to spend most of his time at DH?  He probably doesn’t have many options at this point.  If Derek Hill can potentially get $900K, Verdugo has to be worth more than that guaranteed.  Better than wasting it on another volatile reliever.

I’m just done with the old man Tauchman experience.  He will get injured again.  It’s inevitable.

Edited 10 hours ago by WhiteSox2023

[Chick Mercedes]

3 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Yeah I can’t see them adding more than that unless they got someone via trade 

He definitely sees an opportunity to start here. DFAd but chose free agency. Could have gone where he wanted. “Invitation to camp” basically means an opportunity not to play himself off the team

[WhiteSox2023]

4 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

How about Alex Verdugo on a cheap one-year deal coming off a bad year?  He has usually hit righties fairly well in his career and I believe he is known for playing pretty good defense in the corners with a strong arm.  He’s still only 29 and made $1.5 million with the Braves last year so I doubt he’s in line for a raise after last season.  Seems like he would be a better stopgap than Tauchman that could actually stay healthy and may actually net a prospect if he has a good first half, until the eventual Braden Montgomery callup.  What other team could potentially give Verdugo starting time in their corners, if Benintendi is truly going to spend most of his time at DH?  He probably doesn’t have many options at this point.  If Derek Hill can potentially get $900K, Verdugo has to be worth more than that guaranteed.  Better than wasting it on another volatile reliever.

I’m just done with the old man Tauchman experience.  He will get injured again.  It’s inevitable.

I’m going to champion this for @Chicago White Sox’s sake.  Verdugo is the perfect signing for this team.  He hits righties, plays good defense in the corners, has a good arm, isn’t an absolute injury-prone relic like Tauchman, and will likely sign for not much more than the veteran minimum.  Tauchman can go to Japan or Korea where he belongs.

[Chick Mercedes]

6 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Kelenic is on a minor league deal…give him playing time in Charlotte first and see if you can fix him there.  If he performs well, then find him a spot on the major league roster.  I don’t understand the desire to hand a guy who has been bad in the majors across multiple seasons and who was terrible in AAA a starting spot.

Pereira is a different story because he actually was good in AAA and hasn’t had a lot of major league opportunities.  With the lack of options, he should land a major league role to start the season, although I’d probably build the roster around him being a short side partner for Baldwin.

As such, we should probably go sign a LH hitting corner OF to serve as competition and/or a placeholder until someone is deserving of this spot.  If healthy, Tauchman is a perfect fit of what we need.  It’s ok to have veteran stopgaps at a couple of spots.

IIRC, wasn’t Kelenic good in AAA originally? His second go round he was lost even before he got back there. Just reading the tea leaves, and Kelenic choosing free agency over going down, and that the ST invite was written in, this guy fully expects to make the team. And who knows about starting. I bet there is an informal understanding that he has a spot that is  his to  lose in ST. In other words, he doesn’t have to destroy in Arizona, he just has to not be bad. Kelenic didn’t necessarily have to come to Chicago. But Chicago is where as Mr Fox says, the worst outfield in MLB may exist.

Edited 7 hours ago by Chick Mercedes

[CWSpalehoseCWS]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

I’m going to champion this for @Chicago White Sox’s sake.  Verdugo is the perfect signing for this team.  He hits righties, plays good defense in the corners, has a good arm, isn’t an absolute injury-prone relic like Tauchman, and will likely sign for not much more than the veteran minimum.  Tauchman can go to Japan or Korea where he belongs.

Verdugo is also a guy who has run himself out of multiple organizations. There's a reason he continues to beg for a job from teams. Immaturity, lack of hustle, and poor work ethic is not something this team really needs right now after they finally shed most of the Hahn era guys. 

[WhiteSox2023]

5 hours ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

Verdugo is also a guy who has run himself out of multiple organizations. There's a reason he continues to beg for a job from teams. Immaturity, lack of hustle, and poor work ethic is not something this team really needs right now after they finally shed most of the Hahn era guys. 

Meanwhile, Getz just signed Jarred Kelenic and the Sox are considering giving him playing time according to James’ article.  You just described Kelenic to a “T” — the ultimate teammate.  An even better team player than Verdugo, right?  Pretty funny that you would post this in this specific thread.  The truth is that cheap beggar teams can’t be choosers.  If you don’t want to spend the money, you have to accept the warts sometimes.

Edited 1 hour ago by WhiteSox2023

[Bob Sacamano]

18 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Meanwhile, the Sox just signed Jarred Kelenic and are considering giving him playing time according to James.  You just described him to a T.  The ultimate teammate.  An even better team player than Verdugo, right?  Pretty funny that you would post this in this specific thread.  The truth is that cheap beggar teams can’t be choosers.  If you don’t want to spend the money, you have to accept the warts sometimes.

I don’t really want Verdugo. Fine taking a flier on Kelenic due to age.