Jaxon Jelkin breaks down decision to withdraw from MLB draft
A mid-year transfer from Houston who sat out last season, Jelkin could be a Friday night option for the Wildcats next season.
Kentucky received a boon to its 2026 roster on Tuesday when redshirt junior pitcher Jaxon Jelkin withdrew from the MLB draft. Jelkin, who had been selected twice in previous drafts, transferred from Houston in January and sat out the 2025 season due to transfer rules. However, he was recovering from Tommy John surgery and would not have pitched even if eligible.
Jelkin, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound righthander, struck out 46 batters over 34.1 innings and had a 3.41 ERA in seven starts with the Cougars during the 2024 season before being shut down with a UCL injury. He told Bat Cats Central that his decision to return to Kentucky came down to his love for the school.
“I got there last spring and wasn’t there in the fall, and was kinda thrown into a new organization,” Jelkin said. “The acceptance and the love that they showed me there, allowing me to coach first base all year and be around the guys that I’d be playing with next year, played a huge factor. Being able to build a relationship with Coach Mingione and Coach Roszel and all the staff helped a lot. It’s an amazing place to be and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”
Jelkin, who had surgery on June 3, 2024, is over a year into his rehab and appears to be well on his way to a full recovery. He’s had two live outings and said his velocity returned to where it was before the injury. Jelkin’s only MLB workout was with the San Diego Padres, which he chose because of a good relationship with the organization over the past few years. He said it was one of the best live outings he’s had.
“That was my only second live outing after (Tommy John surgery), so that was good to see,” Jelkin said.
Jelkin was selected out of junior college by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, but ultimately honored his commitment to Houston. Following his injury, the New York Mets selected him in the ninth round but couldn’t reach a deal on a signing bonus. Jelkin decided to enter the transfer portal with the goal of playing in the SEC. He’s an Omaha native, so he was at the College World Series in 2024 when the Wildcats made their first appearance in program history.
“I got to see how they do things and how they run their program,” Jelkin said. “It was a place I knew I wanted to play at. Going into the portal, I reached out to select schools, Kentucky being one of them, and I got on a visit pretty quickly there and loved everything I saw with it. It made it easy for me.”
With his decision finalized, he will return to Lexington with the goal of ending his college career in his hometown. It’s not hyperbole to say Jelkin will enter fall practice with an opportunity to be the Wildcats’ Friday night starter. Kentucky returns weekend starters Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris from the 2025 team, but competition amongst several players will take place throughout the fall and winter to decide who ultimately makes the rotation.
“I know I’m a high-level arm,” Jelkin said. “I’ve been drafted twice, so any time that you get a guy like myself in your organization to make whatever impact I can make, it’s a good thing for the whole school. I think that bringing back an older guy that can lead and show the younger guys how we do stuff since I was there last year and got a good taste of it. I know Minge and Roszel and all those guys’ style of coaching and how they like to do stuff, so being able to bring that leadership role to our team next year and show the new guys coming in how we do things. I think we’ve got a good shot at going to Omaha next year.”
Huge.