Back problems have limited Merrill Kelly to just two Spring Training outings, and thus it isn’t any surprise that Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced today that Kelly would start the season on the 15-day injured list. Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports) that the club’s starting five will consist of Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Soroka, and Brandon Pfaadt while Kelly recovers.
Kelly’s injury issues surfaced about a month ago, and it was enough to immediately scuttle plans for Kelly to get the Opening Day start. The right-hander received some injections that helped ease the discomfort enough that there was hope that the IL could be avoided altogether, though Kelly didn’t get into any game action until March 13. Over two Cactus League starts, Kelly has been rocked for an 8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings, so it’s clear he isn’t quite ready for prime time.
More to come….