Dave Roberts said yesterday that Joe Kelly won’t return until after the All-Star Break, and while this leaves open the possibility of a dramatic return in the middle of the All-Star Game itself, the Dodgers likely have their eyes on something bigger:
Joe Kelly Chaqueta Bobblehead Night in Rancho Cucamonga.
We’re not saying that the Dodgers are manipulating the IL. Billy Eppler? Never heard of him. The minor shoulder injury that’s kept Joe Kelly out for two months now is no doubt legitimate, and not at all a result of the Dodgers trying to ensure their bullpen’s healthy for the playoffs, when Joe Kelly’s leverage is highest. It is likely entirely coincidental that the current timeline for Joe Kelly’s return sets up perfectly for Joe Kelly’s rehab assignment to take place on the very night the Quakes are celebrating Joe Kelly’s Dodgers legacy and cultural impact.
Think about it this way: Would the Dodgers, nearly assured of a division championship, really spend half the season resting a late-inning specialist who’s publicly flirted with retirement and fantasized about resting half the season? Would the Dodgers, already virtually locked into a first-round playoff bye, really plan a pitcher’s in-season training program around that pitcher’s bobblehead night near that pitcher’s home? Would the Dodgers, blessed with one of the deepest rosters of relievers in the league, really do the thing they’ve been accused of doing since 2017, when the injured list shrunk from a 15-day minimum stay to ten?
Of course not.
It’s great timing, then, that Joe Kelly should get healthy just in time for the playoff push, and for what should be a special night in San Bernardino County. (Buy tickets here!) Providential. God is, indeed, a baseball fan, and we, the Joe Kelly faithful, are lucky to count him among our ranks.
Good luck catching them, Rob Manfred!!!!!!!
