Zachery Reed Kelly (born March 3, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Career

Amateur career

Kelly graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in

Daleville, Virginia Daleville is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,070 at the 2020 census. The CDP is located along U.S. Route 220. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area. History Ninin ...

. He enrolled at

Concord University Concord University is a public university in Athens, West Virginia. The institution traces back to February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

for the

Concord Mountain Lions The Concord Mountain Lions are the athletic teams that represent Concord University, located in Athens, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Mountain East Conference in all fifteen ...

as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

in 2014. After his sophomore year, Kelly transferred to

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it had 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) ...

, to play for the

Newberry Wolves The Newberry Wolves are the athletic teams that represent Newberry College, located in Newberry, South Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wolves compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference for twenty-one of twe ...

, their Division II baseball team. As a senior in 2017, Kelly had a 3.72

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and recorded 94

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

Oakland Athletics

Unselected in the

2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

, Kelly signed with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

for a $500

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He pitched in the rookie-level

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

during 2017. The Athletics released Kelly in April 2018. Kelly later said, "My first year I probably paid to play to be honest with you. I definitely lost money."

Los Angeles Angels

Kelly signed with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

organization and played for three teams in the Angels' system, reaching the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

level with the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchi ...

of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

; in 18 total relief appearances during the season, he posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 41 batters in 43 innings pitched. Kelly began the 2019 season with the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

of the Double-A Southern League, and also played one game with Inland Empire, accruing an overall 3–7 record in 21 games (13 starts) with a 4.88 ERA. The Angels released Kelly during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Kelly underwent surgery on his elbow to have a ligament reattached.

Boston Red Sox

On January 4, 2021, Kelly signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He spent the year playing for the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

and the Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. Th ...

. He had a 1.69 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Portland before he was promoted to Worcester, where he had a 2.89 ERA in 15 relief appearances. In 2022, the Red Sox invited Kelly to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

as a non-roster player and he returned to Worcester for the beginning of the season. He accrued a 2.72 ERA for Worcester through August 29, when he was added to Boston's major-league roster. Kelly made his MLB debut that evening, against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. He was on the paternity list for three days in early September. In 13 relief appearances with Boston, Kelly pitched to a 1–0 record with 3.95 ERA while striking out 11 batters in innings. Kelly was the 2022 recipient of the Lou Gorman Award issued by the Red Sox organization. Kelly began the 2023 season in Boston's bullpen. He was placed on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on April 13 due to right elbow inflammation. Three days later, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list. On May 3, it was announced that Kelly would miss roughly four months after undergoing a successful

ulnar nerve The ulnar nerve is a nerve that runs near the ulna, one of the two long bones in the forearm. The ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint is in relation with the ulnar nerve. The nerve is the largest in the human body unprotected by muscle or ...

transposition revision in his right elbow. He was activated from the injured list on September 24, and successfully pitched for the Red Sox after going 166 days between major-league appearances. Kelly was optioned to Triple–A Worcester to begin the 2024 season. On April 24, he was recalled from Worcester to replace injured pitcher

Brayan Bello Brayan Bello (born May 17, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. Career Bello signed with the Bo ...

on the active roster. Kelly was optioned to Triple-A again on May 26 to make room for pitcher Brad Keller, who had just signed a one-year contract with Boston. Kelly was once again promoted to the major-league roster on June 5. He made his first MLB start on June 9 against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, pitching two scoreless innings as an opener.

Personal life

Kelly is married and resides in South Carolina in the offseason. He and his wife, Brittany, had their first child in September 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Zack 1995 births Living people Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Roanoke, Virginia Boston Red Sox players Burlington Bees players Concord Mountain Lions baseball players Greenville Drive players Inland Empire 66ers players Major League Baseball pitchers Mobile BayBears players Newberry Wolves baseball players Orem Owlz players Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Worcester Red Sox players