The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Joe Kelly from the 15-day injured list and optioned Kyle Hurt to Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to their series finale against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
Kelly returns after missing nearly five weeks due to right forearm inflammation. He appeared in only four games after being traded to the Dodgers before going on the IL.
Kelly began throwing bullpen sessions in the middle of August and advanced to facing hitters at the start of September. He recently completed a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, logging 1.2 scoreless innings over two appearances.
Prior to his IL stint, Kelly collected seven strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless innings with the Dodgers. He quickly earned the trust of manager Dave Roberts as two of his four appearances came in the seventh inning or later.
Overall this season, Kelly is a combined 2-5 with a 4.41 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 35 appearances for the Chicago White Sox and Dodgers. His return should bolster the right-handed pitching depth in the L.A. bullpen as Yency Almonte and Michael Grove both remain on the 15-day IL.
Kyle Hurt optioned to make room for Joe Kelly
Hurt made his Major League debut on Tuesday, tossing two scoreless and finishing his night by striking out the side in the ninth inning.
Prior to joining the Dodgers, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, going a combined 4-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 88.1 innings and 145 strikeouts in 25 games.
The No. 12 prospect in the Dodgers organization was recalled prior to the game on Tuesday to pitch a few innings for the team but it was not considered an audition for a postseason role. Still, the 25-year-old who began the year in Double-A was grateful for the opportunity to make his MLB debut.
“It was a pretty crazy last 24 hours, to be honest with you,” Hurt said. “I got a phone call pretty late [Monday] night from Trav, the Triple-A manager told me I was coming here. It was pretty exciting. I stayed up for a while thinking about it. It was a great feeling though.
“It was really cool. It was a long day traveling and all that but it was awesome being on that field.”
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