I’m sorry to interrupt your Father’s Day, but you should be the one to tell your dad:
Joe Kelly won’t be back until July 6th at the earliest.
David Vassegh reported Friday that Joe Kelly threw two bullpens on the week, and that the second one was 25 pitches long. Vassegh even included some footage. But today, with Michael Petersen added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, Joe Kelly nobly moved to the 60-day Injured List. In a quote I am making up right now, Joe Kelly said, “Hey man, take this,” then handed his 40-man roster FastPass to the 30-year-old minor league journeyman ahead of his potential MLB debut.
Your questions:
Where do players go when they yield their FastPass? Usually, to Oklahoma City, but in this case Joe Kelly’s going onto the 60-day IL, which is like purgatory but with more physical therapy.
What does this mean for the timing of Joe Kelly’s return? I cannot begin to guess. The dreaded s–e–t–b–a–c–k word has not been thrown around, which is good, but we don’t know when Joe Kelly will be back on our television screens, pumping fastballs past the unsuspecting while the suspecting flee in terror. To begin to guess, though…
Clearly, the Dodgers aren’t trying to do anything that resembles rushing the man. Joe Kelly is on the Dodgers to win baseball games in October. It’s all about building to that point. This means optimizing the timing of his rehab outings, and by optimizing, I mean making them as electric as possible for the fans.
Joe Kelly will probably do his rehab appearance(s) in Rancho Cucamonga, and while the Quakes are in town this week, I wouldn’t expect the Dodgers to add Joe Kelly to the Cucamongers’ bullpen for an entire half a month. The next time they’re around? July 1st through 3rd, when Visalia’s in town. That would put our guy on pace for a return as soon as he’s eligible. He could pitch against the Brewers in Los Angeles, then join the Dodgers as they go east for their Philadelphia Phillies Intimidation Tour.
Alternatively, Joe Kelly could do his rehab appearance on Joe Kelly Chaqueta Bobblehead Night, on July 19th. Could even stick around for Fireworks Night on the 20th. This would prime him to return against the Giants that next week, but he would miss the Red Sox series.
Many will ask. Could Joe Kelly complete a rehab outing somewhere other than Rancho Cucamonga? Probably. Other Dodgers do. But as Google accidentally revealed to us three years ago, Joe Kelly lives in Rancho Cucamonga. The Quakes play right by his house. He’s not not going to rehab in Rancho Cucamonga. Think of what that does for the broader Rancho Cucamonga community. It’s an economic boost like little our generation ever sees. Joe Kelly rehab outings are the closest thing society has right now to a World’s Fair.
So…keep an eye on the Quakes. They might hold the key to Joe Kelly reentering our lives.
