Dipoto: When to expect Jarred Kelenic to re-join the Mariners

Jarred Kelenic has not played for the Seattle Mariners in nearly two months since breaking a bone in his foot. That should be changing very soon.

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During his weekly show on Seattle Sports, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto shared the latest update on Kelenic and when we could see the young outfielder return to the M’s roster.

Kelenic, 24, has been out of action since July 19 due to that broken foot. That occurred when he kicked a water cooler out of frustration after a ninth-inning strikeout against the Minnesota Twins.

Kelenic began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma last week, and so far so good as far as his numbers at the plate are concerned.

“He appears to be raking,” Dipoto said. ” … He looks comfortable, the postgame reports have been really solid. He’s only been at this for about a week now. Last night was his best night, and I believe he’s right now rocking something around a 1.400 OPS in his short stint in Triple-A.”

Not quite a 1.400 OPS, but Kelenic is still hitting the cover off the ball for the Rainiers, slashing .429/.520/.714, good for a 1.234 OPS. He’s homered once and picked up three doubles while also stealing a bag.

Two doubles and a dong tonight.pic.twitter.com/Im2GwCETaA https://t.co/zSv12c7HkF

— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) September 7, 2023

Defense also doesn’t appear to be an issue as he’s played right field in four of those six games.

“When he’s back here in Seattle, he will play primarily on the corners. And like the way we’ve used Dom Canzone and Cade Marlowe and particularly (of late) where you’re seeing Teo get a few more DH days to try to keep him fresh and on his feet, there’ll be a nice rhythm to the way Scott’s able to move the outfield around if there’s an opportunity to get all those left-handed bats in the lineup.”

So when can we expect to see Kelenic in a Mariners uniform again?

“I don’t suspect it’s going to be too much longer,” Dipoto said. “It could be any day now. “But also we’re 3,000 miles away (in Tampa Bay) with a travel day, so I’m not certain that the appropriate thing to do is send him across the country to join the club, but minimally, I think you’ll see him next week.”

The Mariners wrap up their 10-game road trip with four games against the Rays beginning Thursday afternoon. After that, they return to Seattle for a six-game homestand against the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Listen to this week’s Jerry Dipoto Show at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

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