Rangers Select Jarred Kelenic’s Contract, Option Josh Smith Back to Minors

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers made a move before Friday’s game with the San Diego Padres to bolster their outfield depth.

The Rangers announced that they selected the contract of outfielder Jarred Kelenic from Triple-A Round Rock, an acknowledgement that Michael Helman’s finger fracture will take time to heal Helman was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room for Kelenic on the 40-man roster.

To make room for Kelenic on the 26-man roster the Rangers optioned infielder Josh Smith to Triple-A Round Rock, just a day after manager Skip Schumaker said that Smith would get regular at-bats against right-handed pitching.

Jarred Kelenic Joins Rangers

Rangers transactions for Friday:

-OF Jarred Kelenic (#25) contract selected from Round Rock (AAA)
-INF Josh Smith optioned to Round Rock (AAA)
-INF/OF Michael Helman transferred to 60-day IL
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) June 19, 2026

The Rangers signed Kelenic to a minor-league deal on June 2 and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. Since then, Texas has lost both Helman and Evan Carter to injuries and has infielder Corey Seager on the 7-day concussion list. His status for Friday’s game was unclear when the Rangers made the official move on Kelenic.

He’s familiar to Rangers fans. He broke in with the Seattle Mariners in 2021 and spent three seasons there before he landed with the Atlanta Braves in 2024. He spent two seasons with the Braves before he moved on to the Chicago White Sox to start this season. The White Sox designated him for assignment in May.

He has a lifetime slash of .211/.283/.374 with 50 home runs and 160 RBI in 426 career games. He’s listed as a right fielder but should be versatile enough to play where needed.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that Kelenic's numbers at Round Rock, where he was batting better than .300 since joining the organization, gave him an edge to be called up. He also said that Carter is tracking toward returning sooner than expected, though he didn't provide a timeline.

He also said Kelenic will probably play a lot of left field the next few games, giving Wyatt Langford a chance to move to center field. He said that is not a sign that Langford will stay in center field when Carter returns. Schumaker said he still values Carter's glove in center field.

Sending Smith back to Triple-A isn't a demotion, according to Schumaker. He played in all three games of the Twins series and the Rangers believe Smith needs more regular at-bats and playing time, given that he missed more than a month with two injuries and viral meningitis.

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