After a strange step as Jarred Kelenic ran for first base in Friday’s spring training against the Chicago White Sox, he was revealed to be a Grade 2 adductor on his left knee.
Although Jerry Dipoto did not provide a chronological prognosis, the typical timeline for recovery from this type of injury is three to six weeks. This would obviously hinder Kelenic’s ability to force him into the Seattle Mariners’ opening day list. The timeline for Kelenic’s debut in the big league was and is one of the most significant stories on the way to Seattle’s spring, with Jerry Dipoto continuing to state that his goal was to start Kelenic in AAA-Tacoma before calling him. The increase in scrutiny comes after Mariners’ then president and CEO Kevin Mather admitted that there was nothing Kelenic could have done to be summoned in 2020 and would not be summoned until the end of April or May 2021.
Things got even more complicated when the MLB decided to delay the start of the AAA season by at least a month, aiming to open the season with the “alternative site” model teams used for the whole of 2020. Delays and reduced travel come with the goal of reducing transmission and exposure of COVID-19, while allowing for higher vaccination rates and, by extension, safer opportunities to receive fans at matches, particularly for smaller league clubs that depend more on the assistance than from the major league clubs for their financial results. Unfortunately, Kelenic and the Mariners’ front office seem to agree that development is limited on the alternative site, especially for players whose priority is to get competitive and high-level game representatives. If Seattle is genuine in its commitment to put Kelenic in Tacoma for at least 100 or more PAs, depending on the schedule for its cure, Kelenic may not arrive in Seattle until June.
The injury, as well as the oblique tension that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suffered a few weeks before Toronto intended to send him back to AAA to work on his defense, may have made the debate debatable. Still, with Seattle not making a single addition to his group of position players over the winter, and no revealing displays so far of Jake Fraley or Braden Bishop, Kelenic is undoubtedly looking forward to getting back healthy and continuing to defend his position. We hope that he can be in full health and return to the field as soon as possible.