The Rangers have announced that they have designated the outfielder’s contract Jarred Kelenic. Striker Josh Smith optioned to Triple-A Round Rock as a corresponding active program move. Midfielder/Outfielder Michael Helman was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for the 40-man.
Smith was named to the minors for the first time since 2022. He was the shortstop for the club that won the World Series in 2023. He got a big role in the last two years. Over 2024 and 2025, he slashed .254/.336/.380 with a wRC+ of 107 while playing every spot on the diamond without a battery.
In the offseason, the Rangers sent a second baseman Marcus Semien to the Mets to acquire an outfielder Brandon Nimmo. That opened the door for Smith to take a second job but that didn’t happen. He made 108 plate appearances in the first week of May with a .217/.324/.239 line.
A glute strain sent him to the injured list. While he was out, he suffered from wrist pain and was hospitalized for viral meningitis. He finally returned a few days ago and has hit .222/.222/.333 over his last three games, giving him a .218/.316/.248 line on the year.
The Rangers will try to get him back on track at the Triple-A level. When he was in IL, they used a combination of Nicky Lopez again Justin Foscue to close the place. Ezequiel Durán he was also in trouble but now he is covering shortstop for the season Corey Seager it’s in IL.
Lopez is a solid defender but has a .246/.310/.312 career batting line. He has a better line of .313/.353/.396 with the Rangers this year but in a small sample of 52 plate appearances, fueled by a .368 batting average on balls in play. Foscue has good numbers on the year but is a limited player as he has made defensive mistakes and done all his damage against lefties. Cody Freeman and you can find time in the keystone. If Seager gets healthy, he could move Durán back to second base.
The Rangers could look to improve the position, or their general outfield depth, before the deadline. Their 35-39 record is not very encouraging but the weak American League field means they are only 1.5 games out of a playoff spot at this point.
Kelenic, 26, is making the jump to the outside team. The Rangers signed him to a minor league contract earlier this month after he was waived by the White Sox. He reported to Triple-A Round Rock and posted a massive .340/.431/.620 line in 13 games for the Express.
Minor league success is nothing new for Kelenic. He was once the best, after being drafted sixth in 2018 he went through the minors. But now he’s racked up 1,547 plate appearances with Seattle, Atlanta and Chicago, hitting .211/.283/.374 in those. Rangers will be the latest club to try to lure a bigger club to him.
It is unclear how much playing time he will get. Texas has Nimmo, Wyatt Langford again Alejandro Osuna on tonight’s list. Joc Pederson it is in the designated area to hit most nights. He needs a teammate but he and Kelenic are both lefties. Osuna is hitting just .240/.352/.260 on the year so maybe there is a way for Kelenic to get some playing time for him.
As for Helman, he was hit in the hand by a pitch last week, as seen in this clip from Baseball Savant. It was soon discovered that he had multiple hearts, according to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. He was placed on IL for 10 days the next day. His exact timeline is unclear but this transaction indicates that the Rangers expect him to be out until mid-August.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
