Merrill Kelly Fantasy Stats

There is mutual interest between the Arizona Diamondbacks and free-agent right-hander Merrill Kelly in a reunion this offseason, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Meanwhile, Gambadoro writes that right-hander Zac Gallen is likely to sign elsewhere. The D-backs shipped Kelly to the Texas Rangers at this year's trade deadline after he spent the first six-plus years of his big-league career in Arizona. Kelly wasn't as good in Texas after the move, posting a 4.23 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 46 strikeouts and 10 walks in 10 starts (55 1/3 innings). Before the trade, he was 9-6 in Arizona with a 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 121:38 K:BB in 22 starts (128 2/3 innings). The 37-year-old isn't getting any younger and lacks high-end velocity, but he makes up for it with pinpoint command and a kitchen-sink approach to attacking hitters. Home runs and durability are concerns, but a move back to the desert will make him worth a look as a back-end rotation arm for fantasy managers.

Texas Rangers right-hander Merrill Kelly will start on Sunday against the Miami Marlins, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Jacob Latz is listed as the Rangers' starter, but plans have changed after the left-hander threw 16 pitches and two-thirds of an inning in relief in a loss to the Marlins on Friday. Kelly will look to rebound after struggling through one of his worst starts of the season in a 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Sept. 16. The Astros knocked him around for six earned runs on nine hits and a walk over three innings. He'll enter Sunday's matchup with Miami 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 163:48 K:BB across 179 2/3 frames. Kelly faced the Marlins twice this season while with the Arizona Diamondbacks and combined to allow four earned runs on nine hits and and two walks (with an impressive 16 strikeouts) in 11 innings.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Merrill Kelly was excellent on the mound during Sunday's outing against the Cleveland Guardians. Kelly came into this game riding a hot stretch on the mound and it continued on Sunday. The right-hander tossed seven shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out eight batters in the win. Kelly has been outstanding in the second half of the season. He has allowed two runs or less in eight of his last nine starts. Kelly is lined up for a favorable start against the Athletics next weekend. The veteran right-hander should be rostered and started in most fantasy formats right now.

The Texas Rangers are swinging a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-hander Merrill Kelly, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Left-hander Kohl Drake and righty David Hagaman are among the players going to Arizona, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Rangers are getting one of the best starters on the market in Kelly, who is putting together yet another strong season in his age-36 campaign. Kelly has made 22 starts and gone 9-6 with a stingy 3.22 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts against 38 walks in 128 2/3 innings. Kelly will improve the top of the Rangers' rotation behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, but it's not known who will fall out of the starting five as a result of his acquisition. The team could bump Kumar Rocker out, which would leave Jack Leiter and Patrick Corbin behind the deGrom-Eovaldi-Kelly trio.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (calf) exited his start against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday with calf discomfort, according to Arizona Sports. However, Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo said after the team's 1-0 loss that they don't think it's a serious issue. Kelly fell to 7-5 on Tuesday, but he was outstanding over seven innings and 77 pitches of one-run, four-hit ball. The 36-year-old has recorded a strong 3.41 ERA this season with 107 strikeouts and 29 walks in 111 innings. Kelly's 1.05 WHIP ranks 12th among starters.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly could be a trade candidate this summer if the D-backs fall further from contention by late July, but ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan put the odds of the veteran hurler being dealt at 30 percent. Kelly doesn't have raw stuff and has the second-lowest average fastball velocity among pitcher with 90 innings in 2025, but he makes up for it with an elite changeup and has pinpoint location with his other offspeed offerings. The 36-year-old was instrumental to the Snakes' World Series run back in 2023, striking out 28 hitters in 24 innings with a 2.25 ERA in the postseason. If he is traded this summer, the most likely suitors are the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. Kelly entered his start on Friday with a 7-3 record, 3.39 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 93:25 K:BB in 93 innings over 16 starts this year.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly notched a quality start in his team's 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Kelly tossed seven shutout innings of one-hit ball while striking out eight and walking one to earn the win. The veteran improved his record to 6-2, to go along with a 3.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts over 76 innings of work. Kelly will look to stay hot in his next start, which is scheduled to come on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners. He will be worth keeping active in fantasy starting lineups for that upcoming start.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly earned the win in a 1-0 win over the Rockies on Sunday, striking out 11 over seven scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and walked three. Kelly has been very solid this season, as he hasn't given up more than three runs in a start since he gave up nine in his first start of the year on April 3. His ERA is now down to an excellent 3.26 with 52 strikeouts and 15 walks in 58 innings. The spike in strikeouts in this start is likely due to Colorado's poor offense more than anything else, but Kelly will look to carry this momentum into his next start, which lines up against the Cardinals.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (4-2) allowed eight hits and one earned run over seven innings in his team's 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. The 36-year-old struck out eight and walked none in the quality start, picking up his fourth win in 2025. He was fairly efficient, tossing 68 of 103 pitches for strikes and inducing 12 whiffs (nine on his changeup) for a solid 29% CSW. The lone extra-base hit against him came in the bottom of the fifth when Giants' shortstop Willy Adames doubled to lead off the inning and was driven home three batters later by a Christian Koss single. Kelly's underlying metrics aren't too aesthetically pleasing, but he's allowed two or fewer runs in seven of nine starts and more than three just once (nine). Furthermore, he's gone his last three outings sans issuing a free pass (18 1/3 innings). Kelly will look to build on Monday's outing in his next start on Sunday at home against the Colorado Rockies.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (hamstring) is listed as the team's probably pitcher for Wednesday's contest against the visiting New York Mets. Kelly was forced to leave his last start early on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies due to more cramping in his right hamstring, but he's recovered nicely since and will be able to take his next turn in Arizona's starting rotation. However, in a tough matchup against the Mets, fantasy managers should be thinking twice about using Kelly after he's dealt with cramping in two of his last three appearances. Overall, the 36-year-old veteran has pitched well for Arizona and fantasy managers, though, going 3-1 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 27 punchouts and 12 walks in 37 2/3 innings over his seven starts. Kelly still managed to go five innings against the Phillies last week and allowed just one earned run for a no-decision.