Merrill Kelly made his long-awaited return to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting lineup on Sunday, overcoming some initial fears after a nearly four-month layoff.
He managed to get through five innings against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, allowing just two earned runs on 85 pitches.
“After the third (inning) everything went back to normal. I’m back and we can do this,” Kelly said Burns & Gambo by Arizona Sports Monday.
After issuing a walk to big-hitting Kyle Schwarber, Kelly said he was a little worried manager Torey Lovullo would take him off the mound, but he understood his return start was limited from the start. However, Kelly lived long enough to face Trea Turner to close out the fifth stanza.
Arizona was leading 5-2 at the time of Kelly’s departure, and by the end of the game, the lead had grown to 12-5. Kelly’s record improved to 3-0 in just his fifth start of the season after making 30 starts in arguably his best season in 2023 (3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 187 Ks).
“The emotional part of rehab was probably the hardest, and that was the first time I’d gone through that with a soft tissue injury,” Kelly said. “You kind of go through a roller coaster ride… You know, sitting on the couch watching the guys stagger in place, of course you want to go back and help.
“Worst case scenario, I can stay home for a while and spend more time with my wife and daughter. Life could be a lot worse.”
Kelly said he could clearly see the strength of their clubhouse, especially given the way the starting lineup was unexpectedly challenged by the numerous injuries.
Ryne Nelson was definitely one of those who needed to step up. The third-year player had made 20 starts going into Friday’s second game against the Phillies. He threw 144.0 innings all of last season and will reach 117.2 innings in 2024, striking out nine batters twice, a career high.
The now healthy Kelly also said he could see the D-backs’ true DNA as their offense and defense were able to balance each other out, leading to 12 consecutive undefeated streaks.
“I definitely wanted to make sure I was 100% ready,” Kelly said. “I didn’t want to rush back and risk a setback … both for my own well-being and to help this team down the stretch.”
As for the comparison to the magical run in October last year, Kelly said the team has not wavered and knows it is better as a whole.
The addition of rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo undoubtedly helped Arizona’s winning streak, and Kelly had nothing but positives to offer the first man to catch him upon his return.
“So far it’s going well, (Del Castillo) has started rolling the ball and he’s on cloud nine now. We’re just trying to help him ride that wave and let him have as much fun as possible,” Kelly said.
Kelly will likely start the Diamondbacks’ three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays from August 16-18.
