Kelenic 'in a good spot,' gets first day off

SAN DIEGO -- It was bound to happen eventually. Given the state of the Mariners’ offense, that they were facing an elite starting pitcher for a matinee on a getaway day, and more chiefly, where he is at mentally, Jarred Kelenic had his first day off in the big leagues on Sunday.

Seattle’s new left fielder was among a handful of everyday players who sat as part of a scheduled day of rest, including shortstop J.P. Crawford, who had started and played every inning this season. Kelenic wound up pinch-hitting in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 9-2 loss, then he remained in the game in right field after grounding out.

Kelenic is hitting .135/.200/.270 through his first 40 plate appearances in The Show across 10 games. He’s gone 2-for-29 since his breakout, three-hit game last weekend in Seattle, when he homered for his first big league hit and had two impressive doubles.

But the stat sheet doesn’t exactly paint the clearest picture. In his current funk, Kelenic has struck out just six times for a rate of 19.4 percent, well under the league average of 24.1 percent. He’s also not swinging and missing at pitches much, either. Against fastballs, MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 overall prospect is whiffing just 10 percent of the time and against breaking balls, just 11.1 percent.

How is he adjusting in his first week-plus?

“Jarred is a very intense player, and I don't think he's all that frustrated,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I think he's used to getting a lot of hits, and those aren't coming his way. But he's in a good spot. I actually just met with him this morning and talked to him a little bit about where he's at and some of the things that he's learning. And I do think he's going to be just fine, there’s no question there.”

Servais added that Kelenic is getting acclimated to the ancillary aspects of being in the big leagues, such as getting heckled as a road player standing solo in the expanse of left field, as he did during the first two games of this weekend’s series at a vibrant Petco Park.

“The crowd here in San Diego was a pretty good size,” Servais said. “And certainly in left field, the corner, he got the taste of a real big league crowd. They were starting to get on him and chant his name and stuff. He handled it great. But not only those type of things, but within the game, things that pitchers are doing to him. Like I said, he continues to learn a ton. I thought today would be a good day to get him a little bit of a mental break.”

The uber-competitive Crawford also needed a breather. Even with last Sunday’s clutch performance against Shane Bieber, the starting shortstop is hitting .179/.256/.231 over his past 11 games. Crawford prides himself on playing every day, but a full 162 games in today’s era was always going to be challenging to fulfill.

France could be back soon

With 13 players on the injured list, including three due to COVID-19 issues (Kendall Graveman became the latest to be shelved on Sunday), the Mariners rolled out a lineup that was a tangible representation for how much they need their top contributors to get healthy.

They could be returning one as soon as Monday -- Ty France is traveling with the team and “has a good chance” to be activated for the upcoming series in Oakland, per Servais.

France hasn’t played since May 13, and he hasn’t been right since getting hit by a 98.4 mph fastball by Dustin May on April 19. But the Mariners are hopeful that the extended time off and treatment helped him recover fully and get him back to where he was during his hot stretch to start the season, which followed up a stellar Spring Training.

Long set for rehab stint

Seattle could be returning Shed Long Jr. soon as well. Servais said that the second baseman could begin a rehab stint as soon as this upcoming week with Triple-A Tacoma. Long has been playing in extended spring camp at the club’s facility in Peoria, Ariz., as he works his way back from the surgically repaired right shin that ended his season in 2020.