Kelly cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Kelly was claimed off waivers from Texas in July, and he'll now lose his 40-man roster spot after giving up six earned runs in just 2.1 innings with Albuquerque. The 24-year-old owns a gaudy 11.09 ERA and 2.68 WHIP through 18.2 innings at the Triple-A level, making it unlikely he receives a promotion to the majors anytime soon.
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Rockies' Antoine Kelly: Scooped up by Colorado
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The Rockies claimed Kelly off waivers from the Rangers on Monday.
Colorado designated left-hander Josh Rogers for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Kelly, a 24-year-old southpaw who offers more long-term upside but has struggled mightily in the minors this season. Between stops with Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco, Kelly has posted a 9.35 ERA and 24:22 K:BB in 17.1 innings.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Jettisoned from 40-man roster
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The Rangers designated Kelly for assignment Monday.
Kelly, 24, has had a rough 2024 campaign, first missing time with a shoulder issue and then posting a 9.35 ERA and 24:22 K:BB across 17.1 innings. However, the left-hander thrived in 2023 upon a full-time move to relief, collecting a 2.04 ERA and 79:23 K:BB over 57.1 frames between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Kelly should draw interest via trade or waivers.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Returns from IL on Friday
Rotowire
Kelly (shoulder) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list Friday and struck out one over a scoreless inning of relief in Triple-A Round Rock's 13-1 win over Albuquerque.
Kelly was shelved for just under a month with a shoulder injury before he returned to action for Round Rock earlier this week. The southpaw has made four appearances out of the Triple-A bullpen this season, striking out six while allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks over 3.2 innings.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Moves closer to return
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Kelly (undisclosed) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is nearing a return, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
The details on Kelly's injury are still unknown, but it appears his return may be sooner than expected. The southpaw pitcher is currently on the 40-man roster for the Rangers and could be a candidate to be called up once healthy.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Heads to minors camp
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The Rangers optioned Kelly to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
Texas thought enough of Kelly this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and add him to the 40-man roster, but the 24-year-old lefty still needs more developmental time in the minors. He covered 59.1 innings between Round Rock and Double-A Frisco in 2023 but saw the majority of his action with the latter affiliate, logging a 2.22 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 72:26 K:BB in 52.2 frames out of the bullpen.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Added to 40-man roster
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The Rangers selected Kelly to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Kelly pitched to a dominant 2.04 ERA and 79:23 K:BB across 57.1 innings of relief this past year between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A A Round Rock. The young left-hander could factor into the bullpen mix in Texas in the early part of the 2024 campaign.
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Rangers' Antoine Kelly: Added by Rangers
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Kelly and Mark Mathias were traded to the Rangers from the Brewers on Monday in exchange for reliever Matt Bush, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Kelly was considered one of the Brewers' better pitching prospects, particularly after striking out 119 batters over 91.0 High-A innings this season. The Rangers will immediately give him a chance at the next level, as according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com he will report to Double-A Frisco.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Sizzles in latest High-A start
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Kelly gave up only one hit and one walk while striking out 10 batters over five scoreless innings for High-A Wisconsin on Thursday.
Kelly was hit hard in his first High-A start late in 2021, but he has shined in his first full season at that level, posting a 2.49 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB in 21.2 innings over five starts. Kelly was a second-round pick in 2019 and is one of the Brewers' better pitching prospects, so he will have a chance to move up the ranks this summer.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Activated at Low-A
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Low-A Carolina activated Kelly (shoulder) from its 60-day injured list Sunday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. The lefty started and tossed 1.2 innings in Sunday's 10-3 win over Kannapolis, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out two.
Kelly pumped in 23 of his 38 pitches for strikes in his 2021 debut in affiliated ball, which was preceded by a one-start rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The prized southpaw had been shut down since November after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Kicks off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Kelly (shoulder) began a rehab assignment Tuesday with the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, working a scoreless inning in his 2021 debut.
One of the top pitching prospects in the lower levels of the Brewers' farm system, Kelly has been shut down since requiring thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last November. Given the nature of the procedure as well as the length of his absence, Kelly is expected to require multiple starts in the ACL before the Brewers assign him to a full-season affiliate (most likely Low-A Carolina or High-A Wisconsin).
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Facing live hitters
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Kelly (shoulder) threw 20-to-30 pitches against live hitters Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
The young southpaw is recovering from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in November, and it was his first time pitching against hitters since undergoing the procedure. Kelly made one appearance at Low-A to close 2019 and spent last season at Milwaukee's alternate training site. He appears to be nearing the final stages of his recovery, so a rehab assignment could come soon.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Resumes throwing
Rotowire
Kelly (shoulder) has completed three bullpen sessions at the Brewers' extended spring training facility in Arizona, but he remains without a clear timeline for making his 2021 debut, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The 21-year-old lefty is likely to miss a large portion of the 2021 season after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in the fall, but it's at least encouraging that he no longer remains shut down from throwing. Given the severity of Kelly's shoulder procedure, the Brewers are likely to bring him along slowly before clearing him to make regular starts at Low-A Carolina.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Not yet pitching in sim games
Rotowire
Kelly (shoulder) hasn't been cleared to resume pitching in simulated games at the Brewers' alternate training site since undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in November, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Kelly is said to be progressing his recovery from the surgery, but he appears to be at least a month or more away from making his 2021 debut. The 6-foot-6 lefty was one of the standouts at the Brewers' alternate site last summer, but his recent procedure clouds his long-term outlook.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Recovering from surgery
Rotowire
Kelly underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in November and isn't expected to be ready for the start of the minor-league season, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
The 21-year-old is without an official timeline for his return, though he's expected to take the mound sometime over the summer. Kelly was drafted in the second round by the Brewers in 2019 and spent most of 2019 at rookie ball, where he compiled a 1.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 41:5 K:BB over 28.2 innings. He worked at the alternate training site last season.
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Brewers' Antoine Kelly: Joining roster pool
Rotowire
Kelly was added to the Brewers' 60-man roster Thursday.
Kelly was selected in the second round of the 2019 first-year player draft and posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 45:9 K:BB over 31.2 innings in the minors last year. After a strong showing in 2019, the southpaw will get the chance to develop at the Brewers' alternate training site this season among some of the team's top prospects.
