Red Sox Add Veteran Pitcher for Long Relief, Demote RHP with 2.16 ERA

By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com

BOSTON — Before Sunday’s game, the Red Sox bolstered their bullpen by signing veteran long reliever Brad Keller to a major league contract.

The 28-year-old right-hander is set to play in Sunday’s series finale against Milwaukee. To accommodate Keller on the roster, the Red Sox sent righty Zack Kelly back to Triple-A Worcester.

Keller, who played for the Royals from 2018 to 2023, appeared in 150 games (114 starts) and had a 4.86 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 16 ⅔ innings over five games (two starts) for the White Sox this season. After being designated for assignment on May 19, he chose free agency.

Keller will provide the Red Sox with multiple innings from the bullpen. Along with Chase Anderson, he will be a primary option for long relief, especially since Kelly, who pitched three innings in Saturday’s loss, has been reassigned to the minors.

“(His role will be) similar to Kelly,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s got good stuff. He’s interesting. We’re short on bullpen arms right now with Chase pitching four innings two days ago and Zack three innings yesterday. He’ll give us multiple innings.”

Originally drafted by Arizona in the eighth round in 2013, Keller joined the Royals as a Rule 5 pick in December 2017 and made an impressive debut in 2018 with a 3.08 ERA over 140 ⅓ innings. He remained a key part of the Royals’ rotation until shoulder issues and thoracic outlet syndrome limited him to 45 ⅓ innings last season. After an extended free agency, he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox in March, spent a month at Triple-A, and joined the major league team in late April.

Kelly started the season with the WooSox but has been with the majors since April 24, posting a 2.16 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 10 walks in 16 ⅔ innings over 11 appearances. His 42-pitch, three-inning outing on Saturday partly influenced the decision to bring in a fresh arm.

“This is where we’re at roster-wise,” Cora said. “We have tough decisions. I’ve been saying it for a month. Tougher decisions are coming as players get healthy. We have a lot of good pitchers, but we can only carry a limited number. So that’s where we are right now.”