Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Targeting mid-August return

Kelly (shoulder) said Friday that he's eyeing the Diamondbacks' mid-August road trip as a target for his return from the 60-day injured list, Jake Oliver of SI.com reports. "Originally we thought it was kind of All-Star break but with how the progression lines up, it's probably a little bit later than that," Kelly said, when asked about his return timeline. "In my mind, I'm hoping I'm on that Tampa, Miami, and Boston trip. I've wanted to go on that trip all year and that seems to be around the right time that I'm back in there but obviously, things can change as we go along."

The three-city road trip that Kelly alluded to begins Aug. 16 in Tampa and wraps up Aug. 25, so the right-hander has shifted his focus toward returning roughly a month after the All-Star break. Placed on the IL on April 23 with a right shoulder strain, Kelly has had a slow recovery thus far from what he said is the first soft-tissue injury he's dealt with during his 15-year professional career. On a positive note, Kelly reiterated that he's continuing to throw, but he remains limited to playing catch off flat ground from 75 feet and hasn't stepped back on the mound since landing on the shelf. With Kelly suggesting that his return is still likely another two months away, fantasy managers in redraft leagues with limited IL spots who have been stashing him during his prolonged absence may be best served cutting bait at this point.