Joe Kelly was among the Los Angeles Dodgers free agents after the 2024 season, and the 37-year-old reliever still remains unsigned.
Kelly made 35 appearances for the Dodgers last season, throwing 32 innings with a 4.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 35 strikeouts. He spent some time on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation late into the season, then returned briefly to make five appearances in the final month.
However, Kelly suffered an unspecified shoulder injury during a workout for the National League Division Series and was not included on the Dodgers’ playoff roster at any point during their run to winning the 2024 World Series.
Kelly is not ready to call it a career quite yet and is currently rehabbing the shoulder injury he dealt with last season. During appearance on “Foul Territory,” Kelly said he threw a bullpen session at the beginning of the week and has more mound work scheduled:
“It’s coming good. It was one of those things where I didn’t know if I would be able to throw a ball that well without surgery, and so far it’s been amazing,” he said. “Strength is there, movement is there, obviously it was the first one and the first couple ones, (will be) zero velocity.
“Velocity is exactly where I thought it would be right now with the first time getting on the mound.”
Kelly additionally mentioned being satisfied with his current progress, especially since he’s yet to ramp up activity in the weight room. Now that Kelly has some confidence his arm can handle the workload of a truncated season, he plans to resume the training necessary to compete in the Majors.
But he is searching for the right balance of intensity given his age and he’d only be pitching for a maximum of two months in 2025.
Kelly’s main objective is to give it one final go this season before calling it a career:
“Give it all I’ve got for a month or two months, and then let it go. But like I said, the throws have been great,” he said. “No pain, the arm speed is there, which tells me velocity will come back in the near future.”
As for the procedure that helped Kelly with his right shoulder issue, he kept the response vague and humorous:
“I went out of the country and did some Kobe stuff. But hey, don’t test me, MLB. It’ll waste your money. No, it’s totally legal. Don’t worry.”
Kelly has 13 years of Major League experience with a career 3.98 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 8.23 strikeouts per nine innings.
Joe Kelly wants to re-sign with Dodgers
While Kelly wants to return to the Majors for one final season, he is committed to only pitching for the Dodgers:
“I’ve made it known, which people could say it’s bad for marketing, but I don’t give a crap. If I come back healthy, I’m only playing for one team. And that’s the Dodgers.”
He first signed with the Dodgers as a free agent prior to the 2019 season and has been with the organization for five of his last six seasons in the Majors.
Kelly recently received his 2024 World Series ring prior to a game against the San Francisco Giants on June 14.
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