The Diamondbacks announced today that right-hander Casey Kelly has been selected to the roster. Left-hander Kyle Nelson has been optioned to Triple-A Reno to open an active roster spot. In a corresponding 40-man move, righty Kevin Ginkel has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
Kelly, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes back in March. He has been pitching for Triple-A Reno in a swing role since then, logging 85 innings over 14 starts and four relief appearances. He has a 5.82 earned run average with a 10.6% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate.
The Arizona bullpen got a workout last night. They played 11 innings against the Padres, eventually falling 10-5. Six different relievers made an appearance. They also traded Merrill Kelly ahead of the deadline last week, which led to Anthony DeSclafani moving from a long relief role into the rotation. DeSclafani only lasted two and a third innings last time out and is starting again tonight. Kelly could be tasked with absorbing some innings out of the bullpen behind DeSclafani, in order to spare the rest of the bullpen.
As for Ginkel, this move ends his season. He began the year on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He was activated off the IL at the end of April but landed back there on Monday due to a sprain of that shoulder. The 60-day count will push into early October.
He has some good seasons on his résumé but 2025 will go down as one of his worst. He posted a 7.36 ERA this year, perhaps with the shoulder troubles contributing to his struggles. He averaged 94.9 miles per hour on his fastball this year, more than a mile below last year’s 96 mph.
He is making $2.425MM this year and could be retained via arbitration for 2025. His poor results will prevent him from earning a notable raise but the Diamondbacks might consider a non-tender anyway, based on this year’s results. They will have to decide if they think there’s a path back to his pre-2025 results. From 2022 to 2024, he pitched 164 2/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 47.1% ground ball rate.
Photo courtesy of Philip G. Pavely, Imagn Images