Kelly was used in the eighth inning of Boston's 2-1 loss to San Diego on Monday. He struck out two Padres in his scoreless inning.
It was interesting to see Kelly get the call in the eighth inning of a tight game. It was his second consecutive appearance in the eighth, though his first one had little on the line. Since being called up, Kelly has struck out four in two innings without giving up a run. High K/9 numbers characterized Kelly's relief stint while pitching for Triple-A Pawtucket. If he keeps that up, expect to see manager John Farrell, who is desperate to find some consistent arms for high-leverage situations, use Kelly more often as a bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel.