The Red Sox announced that right-hander Zack Kelly has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester and placed onto the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation. No corresponding move was announced, so the club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39. Kelly has a stress reaction in his olecranon bone but is not expected to require surgery, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.
Kelly was in the big leagues earlier this year but was optioned to Worcester May 22. He landed on the minor league injured list a couple of weeks ago. Evidently, the Sox are expecting an extended absence, based on this move. He has a notable history of elbow issues, like many pitchers nowadays. He had internal brace surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in 2020. In 2023, he required an an ulnar nerve transposition revision.
When healthy enough to take the mound, he has produced decent results. He has thrown 131 1/3 innings for the Sox with a 4.04 earned run average, 22.4% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 45.4% ground ball rate.
By making this move, the Sox are opening up a roster spot. That could help them make a trade deadline acquisition, claim someone off waivers or call someone up from the minors. Kelly, meanwhile, gets big league pay and service time. Kelly already surpassed three years of service time earlier this season. That means he is slated to qualify for arbitration at the end of this campaign.
It’s unclear whether the Sox would tender him a contract. As mentioned, his big league results have been decent. However, this is his final option season, so he’ll be out of options next year. His injury track record and current status might impact the club’s willingness to give him a raise to keep him around for next year.
Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images
