Another Mega-Star Commit To Red Sox….

Boston — Prior to Sunday’s game, the Red Sox moved to bolster their bullpen with a seasoned long relief option.

Brad Keller, a 28-year-old righty, signed a major league deal with Boston, and he is available for Sunday’s series finale against Milwaukee. The Red Sox optioned righty Zack Kelly back to Triple-A Worcester in order to create space on the roster for Keller.

During his five games (two starts) with the White Sox this season, Keller, a veteran Royal who made 150 appearances (114 starts) for Kansas City from 2018 to 2023, had 13 strikeouts in 16 ⅔ innings and had a 4.86 ERA. On May 19, he was given assignment designation and subsequently chose free agency.

As a new arm, Keller will be able to provide the Red Sox with several innings out of the bullpen. Kelly, who pitched three innings in the team’s defeat on Saturday, will return to the minor leagues, leaving him and Chase Anderson as the team’s primary options.

Cora remarked, “(His role will be) similar to Kelly.” “He has quality qualities. He’s fascinating. We’re lacking in that area right now, having used Zack for three innings yesterday and Chase for four innings two days ago. We’ll get several innings from him.

After being selected by Arizona in the eighth round of the 2013 draft, Keller was acquired by the Royals as a Rule 5 pick in December 2017. He made a strong impression as a rookie in 2018, recording a 3.08 ERA in 140 ⅓ innings. For the majority of the following five years, he was a part of the Royals’ rotation; however, thoracic outlet syndrome and shoulder problems kept him to just 45 ⅓ innings of work last season. The veteran inked a minor league contract with Chicago in mid-March after a protracted stint on the free agent market. He played for Triple-A for a month before returning to the big league team in late April.