The Seattle Mariners have been without outfielder Jarred Kelenic since he fractured his foot after kicking a water cooler on July 19.
He was frustrated and acted without thinking about the potential consequences, and he left his team short-handed for several weeks.
He has since apologized, and the Mariners have actually been good in his absence.
As of Monday afternoon, they are 79-64 and are in possession of the third and last Wild Card spot in the American League.
Now, they also received some good news on the injury front and it involves Kelenic.
Mariners roster moves:
🔹 Jarred Kelenic, OF, reinstated from 10-day IL.
🔹 Cade Marlowe, OF, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) September 11, 2023
According to Mariners PR via Twitter, they have activated Kelenic from the injured list.
To make room for him, they sent Cade Marlowe to Triple-A Tacoma.
After an explosive start of the season, Kelenic started to progressively cool off, which was probably the reason behind his frustrations in the July incident.
His full-season numbers are decent, but not spectacular: he is hitting .252/.320/.439 with 11 home runs, 24 doubles, 12 stolen bases, and a .759 OPS.
Still, the Mariners got a pretty close look at his vast upside in a 13-game stretch from April 10-25.
In 13 games, he homered seven times (more than half of his season output) and had a 1.365 OPS.
If Kelenic can show more consistency and make more contact (he has 118 strikeouts in just 362 plate appearances this year), there is a chance he unlocks his considerable potential.
As it is, however, he is still a useful piece in the Mariners’ puzzle as they seek to make the playoffs, certainly more than Marlowe.
NEXT: Mariners Executive Reveals Plan For Jarred Kelenic
