Call it what you want, but Joe Kelly\u2019s baseball career appears to be over.<\/p>\n
The longtime Dodgers reliever, who debuted in the majors in 2012, appeared to announce his retirement on Monday \u2014 but emphatically stopped short of using that terminology.<\/p>\n
\u201cRetiring is like something my grandmother did. It\u2019s so disrespectful,\u201d Kelly told Rob Bradford on the \u201cBaseball Isn\u2019t Boring\u201d podcast<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to all you people out there watching this that work a real job, you guys deserve to retire. Athletes don\u2019t, we just stop f\u2013king playing. It\u2019s used for people who served in the military. It\u2019s used for people who work until 65, like they have to. They probably don\u2019t even like their job, but they had to.<\/p>\n Without explicitly calling himself retired, Joe Kelly confirmed his playing days are likely over while appearing on the \u201cBaseball Isn\u2019t Boring\u201d podcast. X \/ @BBisntBoring<\/p>\n Kelly spent five years with the Dodgers across two separate stints, capturing two World Series rings along the way. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cSo when athletes are done playing, just say congratulations; they\u2019re no longer playing. No more retirement bulls\u2013t.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly, 37, last appeared in the majors with the Dodgers in 2024 \u2014 the same season Los Angeles defeated the Yankees in the World Series.<\/p>\n While injuries kept him out of the postseason, the always outspoken right-hander nonetheless mocked the Yankees<\/a> for having rapper Fat Joe perform in The Bronx \u2013 and ripped the team for \u201clazy\u201d fundamentals<\/a> during the five-game series.<\/p>\n Joe Kelly (left) throws a punch at Tyler Austin during a brawl between the Yankees and Red Sox on April 11, 2018. Maddie Meyer<\/p>\n \u201cWe had seen it every single game just let them throw the ball to the infield, they can\u2019t make a play,\u201d Kelly said in comments later refuted by skipper Aaron Boone<\/a> and general manager Brian Cashman<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a mismatch from the get-go. If we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked the eighth or ninth-best playoff team,\u201d Kelly said after the Fall Classic.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t Kelly\u2019s first time having a run-in with the Yankees.<\/p>\n In April 2018, he was involved in a chaotic, bench-clearing brawl at Fenway Park after plunking then-Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin<\/a> in retaliation for a late slide. <\/p>\n Kelly throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Dodgers play Cincinnati Reds during Game 1 of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The melee resulted in a six-game suspension for Kelly.<\/p>\n Kelly also blasted former Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson<\/a> as a \u201cdouche\u201d in 2022 after the former MVP referred to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson as \u201cJackie,\u201d leading to an on-field altercation.<\/p>\n Drama with the Yankees aside, Kelly carved out a reputation as a high-octane, battle-tested reliever.<\/p>\n Kelly mocked the Astros with a pouty face in July 2020, which led to a benches-clearing brawl that landed the right-hander a five-game suspension. Getty Images<\/p>\n He debuted with the Cardinals as a starter in 2012 but transitioned into a bullpen role in 2016 with the Red Sox. After helping Boston win the World Series in 2018, Kelly signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers, contributing to their 2020 championship run.<\/p>\n He signed a two-year pact with the White Sox in March 2022 but was dealt back to the Dodgers at the trade deadline the following season.<\/p>\n Kelly indicated this past January that he would only return to pitch for Los Angeles<\/a> \u2014 or otherwise walk away from the game.<\/p>\n He teased a workout with the team in August and told Bradford he was \u201cthrowing 98 [mph] like it was nothing\u201d at the time, but no deal ever materialized.<\/p>\n \u201cI can throw gas still at 41 [years old],\u201d Kelly said. \u201cBut now? Hell no. I ain\u2019t playing.\u201d<\/p>\n If Kelly\u2019s career is indeed over, he retires as a three-time World Series champion and viral pouty face sensation<\/a> with a 3.98 ERA across 839 innings.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t