A recent shuffle of the lineup by the Atlanta Braves might have become a move toward correcting offensive woes.
He boldly decided to slide outfielder Jarred Kelenic, who had been penciled into the bottom half of the lineup nearly the entire season, was moved into the leadoff spot.
Kelenic wasn’t necessarily having a bad season, but a .706 OPS and just two home runs heading into June 15 aren’t numbers that typically earn you a promotion.
However, the team remained confident in the decision.
Well, it’s safe to the chess move by manager Brian Snitker set Kelenic up perfectly.
He went 3-for-5 with a home run en route to a 9-2 Braves win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kelenic was back in the leadoff spot again the next day.
He went yard again – doubling his season total in a couple games.
The struggling Braves found themselves back on track.
Kelenic has now batted leadoff for the last five games, and the Braves have won four of them.
Kelenic has a .913 OPS during this stretch.
Kelenic has seen his OPS jump from .706 to .732. He’s on a seven-game hitting streak as well, batting .300 during the streak.
Perhaps this is the move that boosts Kelenic to his full potential.
The 2018 sixth-overall pick was a top prospect for the Mariners for three yeahe was the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect.
This was with two-time all-star Julio Rodriguez ranked right behind him at No. 2.
