Jarred Kelenic’s injury scare should turn the brave into active buyers

THE Atlanta Braves no longer need injuries to teach them the value of organizational depth. With the season-ending illnesses of Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider, and other brief IL stints for other star players, the Braves have already dealt with their fair share of the injury bug in 2024.

But on June 5, they relearned the importance of depth even as they appeared to avoid a major injury to another starter.

Left fielder Jared Kelenic injured his wrist during Wednesday’s 9-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t leave immediately after rolling his wrist during a diving in the sixth round, but he eventually left the contest.

However, the x-rays were negative.

“I think I was lucky,” Kelenic said, via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I just jammed my wrist a little bit. I didn’t feel anything crazy, but I passed all the tests. I’m just a little stiff right now, but I should be fine.

Kelenic should avoid going on the injured list. But with Acuña already out, Kelenic’s injury scare should remind the Braves of how little wiggle room they have in the outfield.

Besides Kelenic, the Braves have outfielders Michael Harris II, Adam Duvall and JP Martinez on the roster. Since Acuña’s injury on May 26, Harris, Duvall and Kelenic have started nine straight games.

Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna was once an outfielder, but he has only played two games in the outfield since the start of the 2023 season.

Therefore, it would be wise for the Braves not to wait until the MLB trade deadline to purchase an outfielder. By the end of July, Harris, Duvall and Kelenic could be exhausted. This assumes all three remain healthy.

On his updated big board of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed five outfielders expected to be available. Of those five, Tommy Pham, Tyler O’Neill, and Harrison Bader probably make the most sense.

Pham, O’Neill and Bader are all veterans capable of providing depth at an attractive price.

If the Braves don’t mind taking on a higher salary, Michael Conforto of the San Francisco Giants could be an option. He’s hitting .280 with a .490 slugging percentage this season, but makes $18 million.

Whoever the veteran is, the Braves need someone to provide additional outfield depth. The last thing they want is to continue to use Kelenic, Harris and Duvall every day until there is another injury.