BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox recalled right-hander Joe Kelly from Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday, a day after sending fellow righty Heath Hembree to the minors.
Kelly has been pitching out of the bullpen for the past few weeks at Pawtucket and Single-A Lowell prior to that. He has five scoreless innings and eight strikeouts over his last four relief appearances for the PawSox, but has not pitched in relief in the majors since 2013 with St. Louis.
Kelly sounded pleased about the ease of his transition from starter to pen as a way of getting back into action, and said, "It was good. Better than I thought. My body and my arm got ready a lot quicker than I would if I was starting. ... As a starter you have to prepare for that fifth day and if your body doesn’t feel good in between those days it’s alright. Out of the bullpen it was good to see different situations."
The 28-year-old made six starts earlier this season for Boston, going 2-0 despite an 8.46 ERA, and also spent time on the disabled list with a shoulder issue. He was 10-6 with a 4.82 mark for the Red Sox in 25 starts a year ago.
"He’s thrown the ball well," manager John Farrell noted. "Might’ve been one outing in Pawtucket where he might not have been as sharp, but it’s encouraging to get the reports that he’s simplified his attack. And I know he’s been aggressive with the approach as far as attacking hitters. Working out of the stretch exclusively, simplifying the overall plan. Looking forward to that translating here."
Hembree was a solid option for Farrell earlier in the year but he has struggled of late. The 27-year-old has given up 11 hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings since the beginning of July and was part of the bullpen’s collapse in Saturday night’s 11-9 loss to Minnesota.
But now that he's back in action in the big leagues, Kelly sounded enthusiastic.
"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to strike everybody out as a reliever now but that’s what I’m trying to do," Kelly said, embracing his new opportunity. "Right now we obviously need another arm in the bullpen. Right now if I could fill that role and have some success with it, it’ll be great for all of us."
In other news:
• Right fielder Mookie Betts is out of the lineup for the second straight game due to a knee issue. Farrell said Betts was taking batting practice Sunday and should be available off the bench. Betts is expected to return to the starting lineup Monday against Detroit.
• Also out of the lineup is designated hitter David Ortiz (rest), whose phenomenal final campaign continued with three hits and two RBIs on Saturday. Ortiz has commented on the difficulty in preparing his body each and every day, so having some planned days off is a help.
“He knew yesterday, he knew today was off prior to last night, so in cases like that you see someone who’s able to manage it a little better,” Farrell said.
Ortiz is available to pinch-hit, Farrell added.
• Injured closer Craig Kimbrel was scheduled for a bullpen session Sunday and will get one more in by Wednesday before the club plots his next step. The hard-throwing righty has been out since July 9 with a meniscus tear in his left knee.
• Brock Holt is filling in for Betts in the leadoff spot for the second straight day and will be starting in right field for the first time this season. Holt played one inning in right Saturday night after Bryce Brentz took over in left. Brentz is the starting left fielder Sunday. Farrell said he wanted Holt in right in order to have someone who can cover the vast space there at Fenway.
