Braves call up Jarred Kelenic to take Ronald Acuña Jr.’s roster spot
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ronald Acuña Jr.’s replacement on the roster will be familiar to Braves fans.
With Acuña placed on the 10-day injured list with a grade 1 lower calf strain, the team called up outfielder Jarred Kelenic from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday to take his place on the active roster. Acuña was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals after aggravating the tendon in his right leg. He is expected to be out a few weeks. His diagnosis came after an MRI.
A former first-round pick acquired by the Braves in a December 2023 trade with the Seattle Mariners, Kelenic hit .231 in 412 at-bats in 2024 and then fared even worse to start the 2025 season, hitting .167 in 60 at-bats. This prompted his getting optioned to Gwinnett after appearing in 23 games.
Unfortunately for Kelenic, Triple-A baseball has not been much kinder. In 280 at-bats with the Stripers, Kelenic hit .218 with a .610 OPS.
After Tuesday’s game, manager Brian Snitker said that Eli White probably will take Acuña’s place in the lineup.
The Braves were scheduled to play the final game of their series with the Kansas City Royals at 2:10 p.m. ET Wednesday.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
