Merrill Kelly Fantasy Stats

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (back) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to make his 2026 season debut on Tuesday in Baltimore against the Orioles, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Kelly is ready to rejoin Arizona's starting rotation this week after throwing 83 pitches in an extended spring training game last week. In the 37-year-old veteran's final minor-league rehab appearance, he went five scoreless innings on April 3. Kelly throws the kitchen sink at batters to keep them off balance instead of relying on overpowering stuff. It limits what he can do for fantasy managers, but when healthy, he's an experienced innings-eater in the desert. In 32 starts in 2025 with the D-backs and Texas Rangers, Kelly had a 12-9 record, 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 167:48 K:BB in 184 innings pitched. Kelly has never had a 200-strikeout season and sports a below-average 22% career strikeout rate. Start him at your own risk in deep-mixed fantasy leagues in his season debut on Tuesday against the O's.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) is set to rejoin the team this weekend before his scheduled bullpen session on Sunday. The 37-year-old has participated in two rehab outings, with his latest being this past Wednesday, where he threw 72 pitches. Now that he is fully healed from having intercostal nerve irritation, his biggest challenge has been to ramp up his arm to withstand the workload of a starter. It appears that the team is ready to get a good look at where he's at and could reinstate him next week. He is someone worth rostering and stashing in all formats, as he finished the 2025 season with a strikeout rate of 22.3% and a walk rate of just 6.4%.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (back) is getting much closer to being activated from the 15-day injured list to make his 2026 season debut in the majors. Kelly looked great in his minor-league rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Reno, tossing five scoreless innings while giving up two hits, walking two, and striking out two batters. The 37-year-old veteran threw 40 of his 72 pitches for strikes in his first rehab outing after landing on the IL to begin the regular season due to a back injury that he picked up during spring training. It's unclear if the D-backs will want him to make another start in the minors, but if he does, it will likely be his last before rejoining the team's starting rotation. Kelly is no spring chicken anymore, but when healthy, he can eat innings for the Snakes and fantasy managers. However, the upside is limited in fantasy with a below-average career strikeout rate of 22%.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (back), who opened the year on the 15-day injured list with left intercostal nerve irritation, threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and will make a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Reno on Friday, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The 37-year-old veteran might end up only missing a couple of turns through the rotation in the big leagues to open the 2026 campaign. He'll make another rehab start on April 8, but after that, Kelly could rejoin Arizona's starting rotation to give fantasy managers in deeper leagues another option for starting pitching depth. Kelly ended up making three spring training appearances before his back acted up, allowing nine earned runs on 15 hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out two in 6 1/3 innings. At his age, Kelly's below-average 22% career strikeout rate leaves very little upside, especially in a hitter-friendly home park, but he has won double-digit games in three of the past four seasons. He's rostered in 64% of Yahoo leagues despite his early-season injury.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (back) will start the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list to build up his workload, and he will start a backfield game at the team's spring training complex this Saturday, according to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. If all goes according to plan, Kelly will make rehab outings for Triple-A Reno on April 3 and April 3 and then prepare to rejoin Arizona's starting rotation for his next appearance in his 2026 debut. The 37-year-old veteran pitched into the third inning in Monday's exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians and got his pitch count up to 52. He allowed five runs, including two home runs, but he felt good about how his body felt. Kelly still has some work to do to fine-tune his mechanics, but barring a setback, he should be ready to return in April. He had a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 167:48 K:BB in 184 innings over 32 starts in 2025 with Arizona and the Texas Rangers in his seventh year in the big leagues. Kelly is a savvy vet when healthy, but his fantasy upside is limited due to a below-average strikeout rate and increased injury volatility at his age.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) will open the season on the 15-day injured list, manager Torey Lovullo told Alex D'Agostino of Diamondbacks on SI. The move was widely expected, but now confirmed by the Snakes' skipper as he announced the team's Opening Day rotation. Kelly entered camp as the Diamondbacks' projected No. 1 starter before dealing with the back issue. Now, he'll open the year on the IL. Lovullo didn't offer a timetable for his return, but the starter could pitch in a game as soon as April 7, if the team chooses to backdate his IL placement. Missing only 12 days would be a decent outcome for Kelly, who is looking to build on an impressive 2025 campaign that included a 3.76 FIP, 8.17 K/9, and 2.35 BB/9.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) expects to open the regular season on the injured list, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Kelly experienced back discomfort on February 21, and while he was able to throw 1.2 innings in a Cactus League game this past Friday, it sounds like he won't be in the Snakes' rotation on Opening Day. On one hand, it's unfortunate news for the Diamondbacks and Kelly, who was projected to be the Opening Day starter after posting an impressive 3.76 FIP with 3.48 K/BB last year. On the other hand, Gilbert notes that the Diamondbacks can backdate Kelly's IL placement to three days before Opening Day, so he'd only miss the first 12 days of regular-season action. All things considered, that's just a few starts and should be enough to ensure he's fully healthy for a long season. Managers can afford to be a little patient with Kelly if it means that he'll be at peak health and productivity going forward. He currently ranks as the #72 starter in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) is set to make the start in his team's spring training game on Friday against the Kansas City Royals, per Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Kelly was sidelined early in camp with a back injury, but he was able to make it through a live batting practice session this past Sunday and appears on track to progress to game action. The 37-year-old may not be fully built up to his normal pitch count in his first start or two of the season, but he should have a chance to be ready for Opening Day barring any setbacks. Across 184 innings (32 starts) split between the Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers in 2025, Kelly posted a 12-9 record with a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts. He is locked into a rotation spot in Arizona and projects as a quality late-round innings eater for fantasy managers.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) was able to throw a successful live batting practice session on Sunday. According to Steve Gilbert, Kelly felt good during the session and everything went well. The next step will likely be Kelly throwing a bullpen session before getting into game action. Barring any setbacks, Kelly should be ready in time for Opening Day. In 2025, Kelly posted a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 167/48 K/BB ratio across 32 starts. The 37-year-old pitched well last season, but a regression is possible given his age. If healthy, Kelly could be an interesting late-round option, but he's unlikely to surpass last year's numbers.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (back) is slated to throw a bullpen session on Thursday, per manager Torey Lovullo. The veteran has been on a throwing program, tossing from up to 60 feet as recently as Tuesday, and the bullpen session is the next step in that process. At some point, he'll face live hitters and eventually make his spring debut if he does not experience any setbacks. For now, he's optimistic about being ready for Opening Day, and the 37-year-old is coming off a solid 2025 campaign in which he recorded a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and struck out 167 batters in 184 innings pitched. A 3.95 SIERA points to some possible regression, and at pick 205 in Yahoo! leagues, he looks a bit pricey, especially given his RotoBaller rank of 262 overall, but if you can scoop him up later than his ADP, the right-hander could be a decent back-end fantasy rotation piece.