Red Sox: Awaiting the Rebirth of Joe Kelly

Edging up to the 4:00 PM deadline, one of the more nuanced trades in recent Red Sox history took place on July 31st, 2014: Boston Red Sox traded ex-World Series starter John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals for former All-Star 1B Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly.

The Red Sox return on the trade is most intriguing.

Initially, Craig had been postured as a possible option to start in Right Field after rehabilitating from a Lisfranc injury in 2013 (the bones in the middle of the foot); prior to the injury, Allen Craig hit .333 with 10 HR and 74 RBI in the first half of the season before making his only All-Star appearance.

After Craig’s injury, he struggled mightily over the first half of the 2014 season before being traded to Boston. Currently, Craig plays for minor league AAA-level Pawtucket.

Apr 19, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Joe Kelly (56) walks off the mound with a member of the training staff during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

At the time Joe Kelly had been announced as part of the trade, I recall being personally ecstatic. Despite his small stature, Kelly’s pitching arsenal featured a heavy, sinking fastball that could touch 98 MPH. Joe Kelly’s loopy breaking ball was also a consistent out-pitch; the 26-year-old Kelly felt close to developing into a legitimate #2 starter.

Unfortunately, Joe Kelly has been a no more than a quality starting pitcher for the Red Sox since 2013 (15-8, 4.80 ERA/204.1 IP, 162 K). Last month Kelly’s season was feared to be over after he was pulled in his most recent start for the Red Sox with a shoulder injury. Kelly was placed on the disabled list with a “shoulder impingement.”

As someone who has had a shoulder impingement (pitching in H.S.), I was shocked to learn that Kelly had recovered as quickly has he has. Impingements, caused by restricted movement when muscle growth occurs over the bone, are tremendously painful. At the time of the initial injury, the wincing Kelly could only muster his fastball up to between 89-91 MPH. His season — and tenure with the Red Sox– felt close to over.

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Unrelenting in his recovery and rehabilitation, Joe Kelly surprised many Red Sox fans when it would be announced that he would make a few starts in the minor leagues to test his shoulder out. During his most recent start with AAA-level Pawtucket, Kelly struck out 10 batters over 6+ innings. More importantly, Kelly’s fastball velocity has climbed back to the mid-90’s range.

On Saturday, Joe Kelly will rejoin the Red Sox starting rotation. Boston’s beleaguered rotation has been painful to watch. Between various pitching cast-offs needing to be used to fill the roster (some released), an array of injuries, mechanical flaws, corrected mechanical flaws, and Clay Buchholz, the Sox’ pitching staff could use any support possible.

This is the rebirth of Joe Kelly: an opportunity for Kelly to make a resounding impact on a team that has the chance to win the World Series.

Next: Red Sox Offense Erupting At Fenway

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