Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (calf) threw a bullpen session ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The 34-year-old hit the 15-day injured list on June 27 with right calf inflammation. Kelly is also dealing with a blood clot in his right calf. Since the right-hander is already getting some work in, though, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kelly return to the rotation promptly following the All-Star break. With 10 quality starts this season, the soft-hurling veteran should be stashed by fantasy managers across all formats.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (calf) isn't worried about being diagnosed with his second blood clot in the last three years, but it doesn't mean he's not in a rush to get back onto the mound. Kelly had a blood clot in his right shoulder three years ago, an issue that ultimately led to surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He was prescribed blood-thinning medication on Sunday, and he said the swelling had subsided "a little bit." Kelly played catch out to 90 feet on Wednesday and said the plan was for him to undergo a follow-up ultrasound in a week to check the progress before potentially ramping up activities. Thankfully, the 34-year-old might not have to miss much time, and fantasy managers should keep him stashed after he's posted a 9-4 record, 3.22 ERA (3.84 FIP), 1.14 WHIP and 98 K's in 95 innings over 16 starts this year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Merrill Kelly (calf) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 25) with right-calf inflammation and recalled right-handers Kevin Ginkel and Justin Martinez from Triple-A Reno in corresponding moves. Left-hander Joe Mantiply was optioned to Reno following Sunday's game. It explains why Kelly allowed seven runs in his five innings of work in his last start on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants. The 34-year-old needs to be stashed in all fantasy formats after going 9-4 with a 3.22 ERA (3.83 FIP), 1.14 WHIP, 37 walks and 98 strikeouts in 95 innings over his first 16 starts. With Kelly out for the time being, there's a chance the D-backs call up top prospect Brandon Pfaadt to take Kelly's place in the starting rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly earned his eighth victory of the season. Facing the Tigers, the 34-year-old hurler limited them to three runs on seven hits during his 6 1/3 innings of work. Kelly struck out five batters throughout the game while issuing only two walks. He hurled 92 pitchers in the outing, and his next start will come Wednesday against the Phillies. Kelly boasts a solid 2.92 ERA, a solid 1.10 WHIP, and an impressive 82/30 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 77 innings of work. Fantasy managers who have him rostered should look to Kelly to be a key contributor to their lineup all season long.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has been on a hot streak lately. That continued versus the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The right-hander threw six innings, allowing four hits, and struck out 10 batters in the 4-2 victory. Kelly has won five of his last six starts, giving up a total of 10 runs during that span. Also, those 10 strikeouts in this game matched his second highest total of his career. The 34-year-old is in a great groove right now, so fantasy managers should capitalize on it.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly went seven strong innings in a victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday. He allowed just one run and punched out nine hitters. The 30-year-old has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in baseball this season, watching his ERA touch only 3.42 at its worst point of the year on April 22 across nine starts. Kelly owns an outstanding 2.42 ERA with three wins and 30 strikeouts over his last four appearances. The workhorse also sports a career-high 26.6% strikeout rate overall. Kelly looks to keep up his prolific start to the year on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup, an offense scoring an insipid 1.7 runs per game over their last 13 outings.

Right-hander Merrill Kelly will take the hill for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Thursday's matchup against Dustin May and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He faced the Dodgers in his first start of the season with mixed results as he went 3.2 innings, allowing no runs while walking and striking out four. Kelly is looking to repeat what he did in 2022 when he won 13 games with a 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 177 strikeouts across 200.1 innings. Fantasy owners shouldn't expect a ton of production from the 34-year-old due to his lack of punchouts, but if the volume's there again, he has some relevance in most formats.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has been confirmed as the starter for Team USA against Team Japan on Tuesday night in the World Baseball Classic final. Kelly's last outing in the WBC came last Wednesday against Team Colombia, when he allowed two runs in three innings of work. The 34-year-old right-hander will draw another tough matchup in the first ever meeting between these two teams in a WBC final. Kelly keeps hitters guessing with four different pitches and relies on weak contact, as he's not a big strikeout guy on the mound. He also relies on command, so he'll need to be spot-on to have success against a tough Japanese lineup on Tuesday night.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly was terrific on Thursday, tossing seven shutout frames in a 5-0 win over the Brewers. The 33-year-old struck out seven on the night while giving up just four singles and walking no one to improve his record to 12-5 on the season. Kelly retired the last eight batters he faced as he continues his excellent bounce-back season by sporting a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 142/48 K/BB through 164 2/3 innings pitched. He'll look to keep his strong season going next week when his club travels to San Diego to take on the Padres.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have determined that starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly aren't going anywhere at this year's trade deadline. There has been a little interest in veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner, but nothing serious yet. Gallen has a no-decision in seven of his last outings, but he's been solid for the D-backs all year, posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 101:29 K:BB over 105 2/3 innings. Kelly has been even better, going 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 104:38 K:BB in 125 1/3 innings in his fourth MLB season. In the month of July, he went 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 33 K's and eight walks in 41 1/3 innings over his six starts. It makes sense why Arizona would want to hang onto both of these starters.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly threw a quality start against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six batters. Kelly has now lasted at least six innings in six consecutive starts, with two earned runs or less in four of those outings. While his early-season success may be hard to repeat, this puts him on track as a solid streaming option at the very worst. Kelly carries a 3.42 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 80 strikeouts in 97 1/3 innings into his next matchup against the Giants in a rematch at Oracle Park.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (3-3) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts but rebounded by preventing the Dodgers from scoring until the fifth inning. The 33-year-old has allowed three earned runs or less in all, but one of his 10 starts this season. He owns a 3.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 47:20 K: BB across 54 innings in 2022. Kelly can be used as a streamer in his next start on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed with starting pitcher Merrill Kelly on a two-year contract extension through the 2024 season on Friday. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports that the deal is worth $18 million. The extension includes a team option for the 2025 season. In his third big-league season in 2021, Kelly had a career-high 4.44 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, a 19.5% strikeout rate and a 6.2% walk rate in 27 starts over 158 innings pitched. The 33-year-old was slowed at the end of last year due to a bout with COVID-19, but all in all, he was Arizona's most consistent starter. Kelly doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside pitching in Arizona, but he should at least be worth a look as an innings-eater for rotation depth in deep mixed leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly struck out eight of the nine batters he faced in three scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants in his first Cactus League start on Wednesday. His fastball touched 94-95 mph. Kelly focused on his changeup this offseason, and he got swings and misses on the pitch on Wednesday. The right-hander went 7-11 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 27 starts (158 innings) for the D-backs last season, but he was the team's most consistent starter despite missing around a month at the end of the year due to COVID-19. The 33-year-old enters the 2022 season with a secure spot in Arizona's starting rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (COVID-19) has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Kelly had been pitching well recently, going 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.105 WHIP and 17.7 percent strikeout rate across 57 innings pitched over his last nine starts. He'll be out for a while now, and managers who have him rostered should stash him on the IL if they have space available.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly allowed four runs three earned on eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 6 1/3 innings of work in an 8-3 loss to the Dodgers. It was yet another quality start for Kelly, who has now recorded one in five of his last eight starts. He got off to a rough start this year, but he's recorded his best numbers of the season in the month of July, where he's gone 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 38 innings of work. He'll look to keep things rolling his next time out against the Giants.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Saturday night. Sandoval, a 24-year-old lefty who began the game with a 3-13 career record, struck out a career-high 13. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season. The big league record of eight was set in 1884, the first year overhand pitching was permitted. The Twins hadn’t come close to a hit until Rooker, who fanned his first three times up, flared an opposite-field fly that fell just inside the line in right. Sandoval (3-4) smiled after the ball fell, retired the next batter and then was pulled after 108 pitches. He walked one and hit two. Closer Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double to Josh Donaldson before getting his 21st save in 25 chances. José Berríos (7-5) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings in perhaps his final start for Minnesota. ASTROS 4, RANGERS... [More]