Dodgers Injury Notes: Joe Kelly Joins List of Minor Casualties

Published on by Dennis Schlossman

kelly

The injury list of the Dodgers continues to grow longer.

Although not overly serious, reliever Joe Kelly is among the recent injury casualties. J.P. Hoornstra of the OC Register reported on Friday evening that the righty is experiencing back stiffness after standing too long during a cookout that he hosted for his teammates at his Scottsdale home earlier in the week.

Fellow relievers Joe Broussard and JT Chargois handled the majority of the chef duties, but it was Kelly who sustained the damage. Both Broussard and Chargois are natives of Louisiana and apparently prepared more than 150 lb. of crawfish which fed the entire team.

“That’s one of the more unique ones,” skipper Dave Roberts said. “I guess I have to keep him away from the stove.”

Originally, Kelly was supposed to make an official Cactus League appearance against the Indians on Wednesday evening, but the discomfort in his back caused him to miss two days of action. Instead, he threw a light bullpen on Friday.

“Long cookout,” Kelly told Hoornstra. “Crawfish boil. We made chicken tacos, too.”

Kelly joined battery mate Russell Martin on the list of players affected by back ailments. The veteran catcher has not appeared in a game since February 26, but he’s apparently on the back-end of his recovery, according to team reports. Currently, it appears as if Martin may return to the lineup on Sunday against the Rockies.

Shortstop Corey Seager, who has been fighting off a minor illness, is expected to resume baseball activities on Saturday morning.

Staff ace Clayton Kershaw is gradually ramping up his activities, but he’s yet to throw off a mound.

 

33 thoughts on “Dodgers Injury Notes: Joe Kelly Joins List of Minor Casualties”

  1. Pederson hit a massive shot last night. Cleared the sidewalk behind the grass. Pollock went oppo with his dinger. Ryu looked good, Santana had some control issues and gave up a 3 run bomb. But the kids in the pen got the loss. Keep Kelly away from the BBQ.

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  2. There is a guy turning heads in camp. Yordy Carerra is making heads turn. He has been hitting 98 on the gun and has been striking out a lot of hitters.

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  3. I’m not normally a conspiracy theorist but I’ve been told that the Dodgers haven’t been completely straight with us. They refuse to divulge what Martin was cooking when he injured his back. Transparency guys. Your fans want complete transparency!
    With regard to Kelly, when you’re from the Inland Empire and you’ve got two teammates who come from Louisiana, you don’t get near the cooking when the main dish is crawfish. What was he thinking?
    Roberts has just announced that Chargois and Broussard have been moved to the taxi squad and will travel on all road trips as team cooks. They are now considered safe from any possible trades.

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    1. There is no such thing as complete transparency. It’s all an illusion.

      Cabrera is an interesting player. Another position player turned pitcher. 100 mph with a sinker to go with it. If he can locate that stuff it may be impossible not to keep him.

      Kelly is fine. Rub some dirt on it and throw him back out there. Make it some Borghese Fango Delicato mud from Siena. That should do it.

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    1. I’ve been waiting for someone to answer your question Dennis since my experience with crawfish is extremely limited. When you attend a crawfish boil, you generally sit around a table and the entire pot is more or less dumped on the table and everyone goes at them and eats with their hands. Since they are shellfish there is peeling involved. Some people like to suck on the heads while others find that pretty gross. The crawfish tend to take on the taste of the spices and other food which have been boiled with them such as potatoes, ears of corn, etc. Since Broussard and Chargois are from N.O., I’m assuming they used some fairly spicy spices. Others of you, please feel free to add on or correct me.

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  5. It looks like Alex Wood may have attended Kelly’s crawfish bash. He’s having back problems and hasn’t pitched for a couple of weeks. May not be ready for opening day. On the other hand his buddy Farmer seems to be having a really nice spring. Hope it’s enough to get him a spot on the Red’s opening day roster.

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      1. Better add Garcia to that mix there Dennis. He had another outstanding outing today. Has not given up a run yet. Maeda and Jansen both looked great. It now looks like both Buehler and CK will be ready by opening day. Buehler faced hitters, and CK amped up his throws also.

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      2. I had Yimi in the Opening Day bully from the beginning. Seems like he’s throwing with a chip on his shoulder right now because he knows he needs to make the team outright this time around.

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  6. When the FO signed Kelly, I thought that was a good start, felt they needed to add another arm, but this BP is starting to look like it could be very good the way it is. Good thing AF doesn’t listen to me. I’m exited to see how these guys pitch this season, this bull pen may end up being a strength for us this season.

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  7. Add me to the list of Yimi supporters. He’s looked great this spring. Really happy to see that knowing his Dodger future depended on a good spring he’s really stepped up.
    On another front, I read today that Lux has been working with one of the infield coaches on his throwing, which hasn’t been up to par. After I read that, he threw another one away today. I really hope he isn’t developing a case of the yips.

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    1. Steve Sax had that tight shoulder throwing problem after spending a winter on the weight machines. In the beginning Corey Seager may have problems with accuracy as well. Supposedly, post elbow surgery, control/accuracy is the last thing to come around. And compared to a pitcher who has the advantage of a repetitive throwing dynamic, infielders have to throw from non-ideal positions.

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      1. Lux was playing 2nd base yesterday and those of us in my age bracket remember how second basemen Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch could not make a throw to first at one point in their careers. Hopefully this is a minor glitch. Would hate to see this wreck an otherwise promising career.

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      3. Just claim you don’t remember those guys and you immediately put yourself into a younger bracket Bear. See how easy that was? Of course, some of us might figure you’ve completely lost your memory and that might put you in a still older bracket. Nobody said life was easy.

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      5. OK Dennis, so how old are you? I realize this is your blog, but some of us have been talking behind your back and if you aren’t at least Social Security eligible we may have to ban you from any future posts.

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      6. The first game I went to the starting second baseman was Charlie Neal…….There are days Jefe, when the old memory does not work all that well!

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  8. 18 days until the start of the new season. My predictions for the 25 man roster. As long as Kersh is healthy enough to pitch. Starters: Kershaw, Hill, Ryu, Buehler, and Maeda. 8 man BP, Jansen, Kelly, Baez, Garcia, Floro, Stripling, Alexander and Cingrani. Urias, Chargois, and Ferguson all will be at OKC. 12 position players. Turner, Seager, Muncy, Bellinger, Freese, Hernandez, Taylor, Verdugo, Pollock, Martin, Barnes and Pederson…..bank on it.

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      1. The problem is numbers Scoop. If, and this is a huge if, CK or Buehler are unable to be at the starting gate, then Urias has a shot. They do not consider him a reliever, and in a perfect world they want him at the finish. But with a 25 man roster, and the starters set, they will not throw that kid into the bullpen when they have 2 very experienced and good lefty’s down there already. Urias has thrown 3 innings so far this spring. Far from being close to being ready to start. There is no need to rush him and they are acting accordingly. They will have 6 starters on the roster to open the season. Sometime during the season you can bet they are going to need more. That’s when Urias, Santana and Stewart will be given what ever opportunities they have open to them. Santana obviously needs a little more seasoning, Stewart has the worst stuff of the 3, but the most experience. Since it will be 2020 at least before the 26 man roster appears, I am just betting Julio is at OKC, or extended spring in AZ.

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  9. Urias gets the start today against the Rockies. The Rocks are not having a stellar spring. Bettis will be their starting pitcher in today’s tiff. No lineups posted today. Nor is the starting pitcher actually listed, but the Dodger web site has Julio on the bump. McMahon and Valaika the only Rocks really hitting the ball. McMahon is leading all hitters in spring average. Dodgers have 11 players hitting over .300 so far. Including a couple you probably did not expect to like Barnes and Thole. Castro and Estevez also having good springs with the bat. No chance to crack the 25 man, but the brass has to be pleased. Garcia has been in 5 games. He has given up no runs, 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6. He has been on a mission and exceptionally sharp. Believe it or not, right there with him with 5 appearances and a zero ERA is Jamie Schultz. He has given up 2 hits, an unearned run, no walks and 4 K’s in his 5 innings of work. The other pitchers who have worked 5 games , Allie, Quackenbush, and Sborz, have not fared as well although Allie has flashed a killer fastball. Baez, considered a lock to make the team has only pitched 2 innings and not fared well. Some surprises for sure one of them being the total regression of Shea Spitzbarth, who last year was one of the brightest pitchers in camp.

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      2. I think you are wrong. But if I turn out to be, I will eat a little crow. Adam Jones signs a 1 year deal with the D-Backs.

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  10. Roberts will give his 2 cents, but ultimately the decision will rest with the FO and Friedman..I say he sends the kid to OKC to stretch him out. Same with Ferguson. More cuts today.

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      1. I think it will have to do with availability. Urias looks about ready to go 6. Buehler and Kershaw don’t.

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      2. The kid has skills, but like I said, it boils down to numbers and available openings and options. I think bringing the kid in out of the pen is a waste. Now, they could create an opening by trading one of their starters, but we all know how Ol Andy works. I have not seen the Dodgers trade a major piece before spring training in a lot of years. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember the last time it happened. They have been stretching the kid out as a starter. So using him out of the pen after all that makes no sense. He goes to OKC to be part of the rotation there until needed, and with the track record of this bunch, he will be needed.

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      3. In my estimation no amount of innings in the Majors is a waste. Urias would be a deadly long reliever. If his innings are limited, and I assume they are but don’t know that to be true, bringing him in to throw 30-40 pitches a couple times a week makes perfect sense to me. Instead of using 2 relievers between the 6th and the 8th, making those two guys unavailable tomorrow, bringing in Urias is logical. This way you accomplish two objectives – you monitor his innings and pitch count, keeping him available for later in the year, and you save other relievers for more work tomorrow all while not wasting any outs thrown against AAA players in meaningless games. Urias is a Major League pitcher. Use him in the Major Leagues.

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