Red Sox Reliever Offers Injury Update Amid Multi-Month Absence

It's been nearly five months since Zack Kelly last pitched for the Boston Red Sox, recovering from right elbow inflammation that heavily delayed a potentially promising season.

The right-hander went down during a relief appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 12, at the point in which Kelly had registered a 1.35 ERA, allowing one run in 6 2/3 previous innings tossed. Now, with Boston's 2023 season winding down, and Kelly undergoing rehab assignments, the 28-year-old is doing all he can to get back to a big league mound.

"I feel good, everything feels good. I feel healthy so now just kind of get this next week and a half and see what happens after that," Kelly told Chris Cotillo of MassLive on the "Fenway Rundown" podcast.

Kelly added: "My job is to kind of get myself healthy and get through these rehab outings healthy and then after that it's not really my decision. Ideally, I'd love to get back up and try to contribute in the big leagues any way I can, but unfortunately, that's not my decision."

Kelly's urgency to return is understandable. Before getting a chance, and playing the role of a valuable relief option for Boston, Kelly went the journeyman route into finding his way into Major League Baseball, which began with going undrafted out of college.

In 2017, Kelly signed with the Oakland Athletics for $500.

In 2019, while a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Kelly suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament after making it to Double-A.

Needless to say, adversity isn't new to Kelly.

Prior to getting a full-time shot at the start of 2023, Kelly notched a 2.72 ERA in 44 appearances at Triple-A with the Worcester WooSox in 2022. There he allowed 15 earned runs in 49 2/3 innings, totaling 72 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .191 batting average.

"It hasn't really been the most linear journey for me," Kelly explained, per Cotillo. "I've been around a couple of different places. Fortunately. ... I made the roster on Opening Day. I feel like I was throwing the ball fairly well to start the year. A couple of things I would've liked to have done better in those first couple of outings, but all in all, I felt like I was throwing well."