Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic has come under hot water. The slugger was placed on the 10-day IL on Thursday after fracturing his foot while kicking a water cooler in frustration Wednesday.
Kelenic was frustrated with his and his team's performance in a 6-3 loss against the Minnesota Twins. Kelenic went 1-4 with a run scored, which was one of the five hits Seattle got on the night.
In response to losing Kelenic for some time, the Mariners called up Cade Marlowe. Marlowe made his MLB debut Thursday afternoon, starting in left field against the Twins.
This is a terrible injury for a player starting to find his groove this season. Kelenic is hitting .252/.320/.439 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. This has been a career year for him offensively.
"Being a Mariners fan is NOTHING but pain. PAIN, and constant disappointment" one fan tweeted.
"This season summed up" another fan tweeted.
Seattle Mariners fans could not be more upset with Jarred Kelenic's injury. There is nobody but himself to blame for the injury. He is letting himself, the fanbase and his team down by not being available.
Kelenic spoke to the media after his injury was announced and was emotional. He took full responsibility for his actions and feels terrible for letting many people down.
Seattle Mariners need to find a way to turn this offense around without Jarred Kelenic
The Seattle Mariners have struggled tremendously this season. They sit fourth in the American League West with a record of 47-48. They are 10 games behind the Texas Rangers, who lead the division.
Seattle has not been able to find consistency offensively this season. It holds a .230 team batting average, ranking them 27th in the league. Teams like the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates hold a better average than Seattle.
Jarred Kelenic has the second-best batting average and OPS on the team behind J.P. Crawford. Losing Kelenic is going to be tough. Some other players must step up in his absence. Seattle will look toward Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez to ramp it up at the plate.
The Mariners have what it takes to turn this around, but they must get it going now. They are a better team than what they have shown thus far, and it will be disappointing if this group misses the postseason this year.