Mariners: 4 takeaways from series split with Los Angeles Angels

2) Mariners make the right call with Kelenic

Following the previous series against the Oakland Athletics, we suggested the possibility of Jarred Kelenic going back down to Triple-A. Even allowing for another injury to fellow outfielder Kyle Lewis, we hoped the Mariners would continue to think of the long-term with their rebuild.

Pure and simple, Kelenic’s struggles at the plate had been painful to watch even as an objective bystander. It didn’t get any better against the Angels, as he again failed to register a single hit.

The 21-year-old saw his hitting slump grow to 0-for-39. As a result the Mariners decided to sit him on Sunday.

Servais and general manager Jerry Dipoto have repeatedly stressed their faith in Kelenic. They made the right decision however, by subsequently optioning him to Triple-A Tacoma following the series finale versus Los Angeles.

It doesn’t matter how much confidence the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native has in himself. He has never faced struggles like this before during his journey to the Majors.

Kelenic has a truly poor slash line of 0.96/.185/.193. That he struck out 26 times in 23 games only further showed how hard he was pushing, with little joy.

The 2018 sixth round draft has had some success with the Mariners, as per two home runs and six RBI. However, he hadn’t scored a home run or an RBI in his last 10 games.

Kelenic was excellent during his first stint in Tacoma, as evidenced by hitting .370, with two home runs and five RBI. However, his subsequent play in the Majors shows he needs more than just six games at the Triple-A level, in order to hone his skills.

The former New York Met had previously criticized the organization, specifically after the comments by Kevin Mather. As far as he was concerned, he was being held back intentionally.

As per Kelenic’s previously mentioned confidence, he has supreme belief in his abilities and was convinced he could have helped the Mariners if called up earlier. While no one wants to see him fail, maybe now he realizes the possibility that – regardless of what Mather said – Dipoto and Servais have his best interests at heart.

At the end of the day, the last thing the GM and manager want to do is sabotage a player and potentially ruin their relationship with him. They are purely focused on building a long-term contender.

Optioning Kelenic to Triple-A can only help. And this time, if he comes out firing in six games, we assume there won’t be similar calls to reinstate him with the Mariners so quickly.

Further, you only have to look at the recent example of Taylor Trammell, to justify the move. Similar to Kelenic, he struggled after some early offensive success following his Major League debut this year.

As a result, the Mariners optioned Trammell to Triple-A to focus on certain aspects of his game and it appears to have helped. In six games following his return to Seattle, he has five hits, five runs, two walks, a home run and two RBI.

While there are fears Kelenic could flame out, a la Dustin Ackley, Kelenic’s upside is still considerable. Ultimately though, whatever happens, Dipoto and Servais will do everything possible to help him succeed.

NEXT: POTENTIAL CATASTROPHE AVERTED