Reliever Dodgers just traded for heading to injured list

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that right-hander Joe Kelly has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right forearm.  The placement is retroactive to August 10, a day after Kelly’s last outing — a scoreless inning of work against the Diamondbacks during a 2-0 Dodgers victory.

Acquired in a big pre-deadline deal with the Chicago White Sox, Kelly has yet to allow a run over his four appearances and 3 2/3 innings in Dodger Blue, with huge strikeout (50%) and walk (21.7%) rates over this limited sample size.  It has been an early reversal of his pre-trade numbers with the Sox, as Kelly had a rather unlucky 4.97 ERA despite some impressive peripheral numbers.

Los Angeles traded for Kelly to add some veteran experience and depth to a bullpen that has been heavily utilized this season, as the Dodgers rank eighth in the league in reliever innings.  Injuries to the rotation have put an extra strain on the relief corps, which is why L.A. obtained Kelly and Lance Lynn from Chicago to help bolster both sides of the pitching staff.  Unfortunately, the injury bug has now bitten Kelly and he’ll miss at least 15 days recuperating.

Any forearm or elbow injury will be treated with particular caution, though if it is just inflammation rather than anything more serious (and Kelly and the Dodgers have had a few days to evaluate the issue), it is possible Kelly might just miss a minimal amount of time.  Kelly is now the 12th pitcher currently on the Dodgers’ IL, though the club has been able to weather the storm, winning 11 of its last 12 games.