The Atlanta Braves entered the offseason with what seemed like a short list of things to address, but that changed after several key events. Joe Jimenez’s surgery, along with the recovery of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, have made the bullpen, rotation, and outfield key areas of concern for the 2025 season.
General Manager Alex Anthopoulos now faces the possibility of replacing Max Fried and Charlie Morton, along with preparing for Strider to be sidelined for part of the season. He’ll also need to find a new high-leverage reliever to fill in for Jimenez, and possibly add one or two more if A.J. Minter leaves in free agency.
The outfield is another position that needs attention, especially with Acuña expected to miss some time. Right field will need a full-time starter until Acuña returns, and there are questions about whether he’ll be able to play every day after recovering from his second torn ACL. On top of that, left field was a major problem for the Braves in 2024.
Could the team really count on Jarred Kelenic in an everyday role? Based on recent comments from Anthopoulos, it sounds like Kelenic might not be in their plans for a starting job.
“Look, at the end of the day, the only locks, when everyone is healthy, for the outfield – just the way the year ended – are Ronald (Acuña) and (Michael) Harris (II),” Anthopoulos told Justin Toscano of the *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*.
This doesn’t sound like a GM who’s confident in Kelenic’s place. How could he be? Kelenic hit just .231 with a .286 on-base percentage and struck out 133 times in 2024. While he did hit a career-high 15 home runs, his other struggles made it hard to overlook them. Still, it doesn’t seem like Kelenic’s chances with the Braves are completely gone.
Because Acuña might miss some time and with Michael Harris also having dealt with injuries, Kelenic will still have a role to play in 2025, as Anthopoulos suggests.
“And he’s still a young player. And when we acquired him, the thought was (for him) to hit at the bottom of the lineup. Our offense was so prolific the year earlier that we just wanted him to play good defense and be a contributing bat for us.
There were ups and downs, but he’s gonna continue to get opportunities with us,” Toscano wrote in another report.
Looking ahead, Kelenic is likely to play a significant role early in the season. This will be his chance to prove he can contribute. However, when the Braves get healthier, especially with Acuña back, Kelenic’s opportunities could be limited. If he struggles again like he did at the end of last season, those opportunities will likely disappear.
