White Sox add Jarred Kelenic to jumbled outfield mix
Jarred Kelenic photo courtesy of MLB.com
The White Sox have an interesting young core of position players in their infield aided by the recent addition of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel comprise the rest of the group. The outfield mix is more of a jumbled mess of former top prospects, journeymen and underachieving veterans with significant contractual obligations. It really is a land of opportunity in the White Sox’s outfield.
Another Former Top Prospect added to White Sox Outfield Mix
The latest addition to the group is former top prospect Jarred Kelenic. It’s a non-roster invite deal and the club hasn’t officially announced the transaction yet but a team source confirmed the addition to FutureSox. The organization is very familiar with the 26-year-old outfielder as he starred on the White Sox’s Area Codes Team while he was a high school phenom at Waukesha West High School in Wisconsin.
Kelenic was the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft as he signed with the New York Mets for $4.5 million. He was quickly traded to the Seattle Mariners as part of the package for Robinson Cano. His prospect status peaked as the #4 overall prospect in baseball for MLB Pipeline prior to the 2021 season. The 5-11, 205 pounder hits left-handed and he always made consistent hard contact, drove the ball to all fields and looked like a future All Star.
He was the top high school player in the 2018 draft class. He possesses prodigious power to the pull side with on base skills as well. As a former pitcher, he showed a plus arm and plus speed as well. The struggles for the Wisconsin product weren’t expected but prospects clearly don’t always pan out.
Kelenic has hit .211/.282/.376 with 49 homers while posting an 84 wRC+ and .658 OPS in 407 games in the major leagues. The outfielder played in only 24 big league games with the Atlanta Braves in 2025 and he really struggled throughout the season in Triple-A as well. He did post a 110 wRC+ in 2023 with the Seattle Mariners while accumulating 1.5 fWAR in 416 plate appearances.
The 26-year-old still has decent batted ball metrics and he possesses power potential as well. The White Sox believe that some of the struggles are mechanical and the organization’s director of hitting Ryan Fuller has already begun work to get the former top prospect back on track. The White Sox have always had a fondness for Midwest players and one source believes that the organization “knows the player really well” while still believing that there’s some big upside to be accessed potentially.
The outfielder will be afforded the opportunity to play in a regular role for the 2026 Chicago White Sox. The outfield mix in Chicago is asking to be altered and coaches and staff members are optimistic and excited to get to work with a host of reclamation projects while prospects season for a bit longer.
Prince That Was Promised for White Sox
The Braden Montgomery Show is coming to a local south side ballpark near you in 2026. It’s just a matter of when. The 22-year-old outfielder is a pretty consensus top 50 prospect in baseball right now as he traversed three minor league levels in 2025. The switch-hitter slashed .270/.360/.444 with a 137 wRC+ and 12 homers overall. Montgomery probably strikes out too much, needs to hit more homers and carries a high BABIP currently but he possesses tremendous power potential and profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat fairly soon.
The 6-2, 220 pound outfielder clubbed 62 college homers in three seasons with Stanford and Texas A&M. During his junior year, Montgomery fractured his ankle and couldn’t join the Aggies in the postseason. He was still tabbed as the #12 overall pick in the 2024 draft by the Boston Red Sox and inked for $5 million. The White Sox acquired him as a significant part of the trade return for lefty Garrett Crochet.
The hit tool will guide the way for the 22-year-old in 2026. He will join the big league club for spring training but he likely doesn’t have a real opportunity to grab a spot on the White Sox to open the season. Whether he ultimately returns to Birmingham or starts off the season in Charlotte could offer a glimpse into the club’s plan for the player. Montgomery has a plus-plus arm and fits nicely in right field once that time is decided upon.
Outfield Mix for the White Sox
The White Sox could be in contention for having the worst outfield in baseball at this stage of the off-season. Trade rumors have swirled for 28-year-old Cuban center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and they likely will continue until the player eventually moves. It’s been disappointing at the dish since the outfielder posted a 5 WAR season in 2023 that he hasn’t been able to replicate.
Robert increased his walk rate significantly last year while decreasing his strikeout rate overall but the struggles continued as he posted an 84 wRC+ on the year. The second half was much better as he flashed superstar potential once again but injuries have derailed his career and they ended his season prematurely in 2025 as well. The 6-2, 225 pounder still posted a 1.3 fWAR season as a sterling defender and base runner however.
It’s unknown whether or not Robert will be on the club throughout the season or even by the time spring training begins but as far as the 2026 campaign goes, he likely still possesses the most offensive upside on the entire team. Andrew Benintendi will be 31-years-old when the season starts and he’s basically a de facto outfielder at this stage as the club has prepared to use him primarily in a designated hitter role.
Sources have consistently reiterated to FutureSox that the White Sox would be open to trading Benintendi in a swap for another club’s under water contract but that fit hasn’t come to fruition to this point. The former top ten pick posted a 127 wRC+ vs lefties last year and he’s hit 20 homers in each of the last two seasons but he’s been a negative WAR player overall. It’s been a very disappointing start for the player who landed the largest contract in the history of the franchise a few years ago.
Kelenic’s arrival is more significant than most on a non-roster deal due to the organization’s history with the player and he could even have a leg up on others who seem to be in a similar roster battle. Brooks Baldwin and Derek Hill are expected to return in some capacity and the franchise has added a trio of former prospects this winter in Dustin Harris, Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters.
Pereira was a former top prospect for the New York Yankees and he seems likely to at least serve in a short side platoon role for the 2026 White Sox at this point. The front office traded Steven Wilson and Joendrys Gómez in order to acquire the 24-year-old so his addition seems to be more than just a flyer. The 5-11, 203 pounder can play all three outfield spots and Chris Getz referred to him as a “premium position player with big power”.
The Venzuelan outfielder is out of options which throws a potential wrinkle into his situation. He’ll either be on the White Sox or in a different organization most likely. While there’s been some minor league success for Pereira, he has mostly struggled in 176 big league plate appearances. He played in just 23 games with the Tampa Bay Rays last year and he should have an opportunity for more runway in Chicago.
The White Sox acquired 25-year-old outfielder Tristan Peters from the Rays as well after he was designated for assignment early in December. The 6-0, 180 pounder is a former 7th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers out Southern Illinois. The left-handed hitter can handle center field and he posted a .266/.355/.429 line with a 107 wRC+ while hitting 15 homers for the Durham Bulls last year. He played four games with the Rays as well.
30-year-old Derek Hill is on a split contract and he likely spends quite a bit of time in Charlotte in 2026. He’s a great defender though and could fill in throughout the year in numerous spots. The club has also added 26-year-old Dustin Harris as a non-roster invite as well. He was one of the better prospects in the Texas Rangers’ system as recently as 2024 and the left-handed hitter batted .284/.374/.447 in Triple-A last year. Harris has 73 career minor league homers with 21 big league games played in total.
The White Sox could look to supplement the major league roster additionally with a Mike Tauchman return or a cheap deal with a veteran like Michael Conforto at some point but the addition of Jarred Kelenic appears to be more significant than a typical non-roster flyer on a former top prospect. The organization is excited to land him and he’ll have a realistic opportunity to make the club for a franchise who wanted him.
