Braves Jarred Kelenic Finding Dormant Power Early in Spring Training

After an inconsistent performance in 2024, things are already looking better for the Atlanta Braves outfielder early in the spring

That pop is starting to return a bit for Kelenic | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic has shown some of that dormant power, in the early games of Spring Training. 

All four of his hits so far have been for extra bases, including two of them that have left the yard. In the 7-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday, Kelenic belted his second home run, marking the entire offensive showing for the Braves. 

It was hit high and landed about four or five rows back beyond the right-field wall.

Jarred Kelenic - Atlanta Braves (2)* pic.twitter.com/xxIa8xr62z

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 8, 2025

Through seven games, Kelenic is batting .235 with a 1.081 OPS. It’s early, but he’s already looking better than he did at this point last March. At this point, he had a .056 batting average and a .246 OPS. 

Kelenic finds himself in a peculiar position. With the signing of Jurickson Profar, the starter roles in the outfield are essentially locked up for the upcoming three seasons. It’ll be Profar, Michael Harris II and eventually Ronald Acuña Jr. as the outfield day-to-day. At this point, the former Mariners’ top prospect is pushing to be the fill-in during Acuña’s absence then earn a fourth outfielder job for the rest of the season. 

The Braves acquired him in a trade last offseason and retained him following a streaky 2024 campaign. The power especially came in spurts. Though his first 54 games, he had just four home runs. Midway through the summer, he moves to the top of the lineup and belts six home runs in 21 games. His acquisition suddenly looked brilliant. 

His slugging jumped from an anemic .401 to a more solid .455. But the power dried up the rest of the way with five home runs over his remaining 56 games. He saw little playing time come December. His role on the team fell back into question. 

For what it’s worth, the spring has already been better for him. He has  doubled his extra-base hit total from last Spring Training through his first seven games. He had just two in 21 Spring Training games in 2024. 

His likely platoon partner in right field, Bryan De La Cruz, is also looking solid at the plate in Spring Training. He’s batting .353 with an .824 OPS. 

Any level of success from the Spring that carries over into the early part of the regular season would seriously jump-start the Braves’ offense in the absence of their MVP winner. 

The better the jump out of the gate, the better off they’ll be the rest of the way.