Dodgers’ Joe Kelly Nearing End of Minor League Rehab Assignment

Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly will return to the Los Angeles bullpen after the All-Star break, which ends Thursday.

The right-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list on May 6 with a right posterior shoulder strain. He was sent on a rehab assignment to the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on July 2. The following day, Kelly returned to the mound, pitching one scoreless frame. He has appeared in two games with Rancho Cucamonga, tallying one walk and one strikeout across two innings.

Before his shoulder injury, Kelly posted a 4.73 ERA with 14 strikeouts and five walks across 13.1 innings. He allowed 13 hits and seven earned runs with batters averaging .271 against him.

He spent a season and a half with the Chicago White Sox before being traded at last season’s deadline alongside right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn. Kelly had played three seasons with the Dodgers before his stint in Chicago. 

Despite his return to Los Angeles, Kelly has battled several injuries over the years that have kept him off the mound. Last season, a right groin strain, right elbow inflammation, and right forearm inflammation sidelined him. 

In Kelly’s tenure with the White Sox, he appeared in 73 games, posting a 4.49 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 12 walks across 68.1 innings.

Kelly’s return will deepen the Dodgers bullpen heading into the postseason as multiple Los Angeles relievers have gone down with injuries this season. Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove are also on the injured list but neither of the two have a set return date. 

Neither Graterol nor Grove have begun minor league rehab assignments. Kelly’s next game at Triple-A Oklahoma City would be his fourth; he threw a scoreless inning on Sunday, allowing no hits, no runs, two walks and striking out one batter against the El Paso Chihuahuas.