Kelly earned a save against the Red Sox on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Kelly entered in the ninth inning with Tampa Bay clinging to a one-run lead, and he dispatched the first two batters he faced on strikeouts before getting Ceddanne Rafaela to ground out to wrap up his first save of the campaign. Meanwhile, Pete Fairbanks -- who is usually Tampa's closer -- pitched in the eighth inning against the heart of Boston's order and notched a hold. That usage suggests that manager Kevin Cash won't hesitate to deploy Fairbanks in the highest-leverage situations, even when they come before the ninth frame. As such, other Rays relievers (including Kelly) could get save opportunities from time to time, though those chances are probably too unpredictable for fantasy managers to hassle with in leagues that don't reward holds.
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Rays' Kevin Kelly: Back with big club
Rotowire
The Rays recalled Kelly from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Kelly had been optioned to Durham on Thursday, but he'll be eligible to return to the Rays less than a week later after Tampa Bay placed closer Pete Fairbanks (nerve-related condition) on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Though the loss of Fairbanks creates a vacancy at the back end of the bullpen, Kelly is more likely to work in the middle innings during his time with the big club. Kelly has previously made four relief appearances for Tampa Bay this season, giving up four earned runs on six hits and one walk over 4.2 innings.
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Rays' Kevin Kelly: Headed to minors
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Kelly to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Tampa Bay will swap Kelly out of its bullpen for a left-handed option, as Jacob Lopez was called up from Durham in a corresponding move. Kelly has made four appearances for the Rays this season, giving up four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings.
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Rays' Kevin Kelly: Recalled by Tampa Bay
Rotowire
The Rays recalled Kelly from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.
The move corresponds with the Rays placing Tyler Alexander on the bereavement list Tuesday. Kelly appeared in 57 games for the Rays in 2023, posting a 3.09 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB over 67 innings. He's been effective with Triple-A Durham early this minor-league season as well, firing 3.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
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Rays' Kevin Kelly: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Kelly to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Kelly had to be kept on the Rays' roster all of last season after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the club is now able to send him to the minors now that they've retained his rights. The Rays typically have a constant churn among their relievers on the back end of the 40-man roster, and Kelly could be one of several hurlers who gets cycled between the big club and Durham in 2024.
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Rays' Kevin Kelly: Picks up first career save
Rotowire
Kelly recorded the final out of Friday's 3-2 win over the White Sox to record his first career save.
Pete Fairbanks got the call in the ninth inning for the Rays as expected, but after hitting one batter and walking another with two outs, he exited the game complaining of numbness in his fingers, forcing Kelly to finish things out. Fairbanks has dealt with this issue before -- he has Raynaud's syndrome, which impacts blood flow to the extremities in colder temperatures -- but if he ends up missing additional time, Jason Adam seems more likely to handle the bulk of the closing duties for the Rays. Kelly hasn't pitched badly as a Rule 5 rookie, however, posting a 4.20 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB through his first 15 big-league innings with two wins and a hold -- plus Friday's save -- in nine appearances.
