The Red Sox can't seem to lose lately, but that hasn't stopped the injury bug from finding them. MLBTradeRumors confirmed the team has placed reliever Zack Kelly on the 60-day injured list, a corresponding move that clears a 40-man roster spot right in the middle of Boston's improbable summer surge.
MLBTradeRumors broke the news that Kelly is headed to the 60-day IL.
The move is technically a paper transaction in terms of Kelly's actual health timeline, since he'd already been optioned to Triple-A Worcester back in May and had landed on the minor league injured list weeks before this. Per reports, Kelly is dealing with elbow inflammation and a stress reaction in his olecranon, but the injury reportedly isn't expected to require surgery. Still, elbow trouble is nothing new for the 30-year-old righty, who's already had internal brace surgery on his UCL back in 2020 and an ulnar nerve transposition revision in 2023 that cost him most of that season.
The timing stings a little given everything else going on in Boston right now. The Red Sox have ripped off 13 straight wins and gone 18-2 since climbing out of a hole that had them at 32-46 in late June, a run that's the franchise's best since 1948. A team that looked like obvious deadline sellers a month ago is suddenly weighing whether to buy instead, and every bullpen arm matters when you're clawing back into a Wild Card race.
For now, Kelly's absence is more of a roster-management footnote than a crisis. The 60-day IL move doesn't change his medical outlook, it just frees Boston to add a body without touching the 40-man during a stretch where they may need every transaction lever available. But it's a reminder that even a red-hot team is one phone call away from needing bullpen reinforcements before the August 3 trade deadline, and Kelly's spot won't be walking through that door anytime soon.