TODAY: Kelly has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Varsho and infielder Josh VanMeter were called up from Triple-A to fill the spots left open by Kelly and right-hander Kevin Ginkel, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday.
JUNE 19: Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly suffered a fractured right wrist after being hit by a pitch from the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler in tonight’s game. Kelly was hit in the bottom of the second inning, and stuck it out for an inning before being replaced behind the plate by Stephen Vogt to begin the fourth.
Depending on the severity of the fracture, Kelly’s season could potentially be in jeopardy, and at the very least he is looking at a lengthy absence. Kelly already missed time back in May with a toe fracture, though that resulted in only a 10-day minimum stint on the injured list.
It makes for yet another down note for Kelly and the Diamondbacks during what has become a nightmarish season in Arizona. Kelly’s performance was one of the few bright spots, as he has a .260/.385/.460 slash line and eight home runs through 187 plate appearances. It was a nice bounce-back showing after a lackluster 2020 season for Kelly, who was acquired from the Cardinals as part of the Paul Goldschmidt trade in December 2018.
Between his solid 2019 numbers and this year’s breakout, Kelly certainly looked to be living up to his billing as the Diamondbacks’ catcher of both the future and the present. Arizona’s miserable season notwithstanding, it didn’t seem like Kelly (if healthy) was a realistic trade candidate, as GM Mike Hazen recently suggested that the D’Backs would look to settle upon an “anchor” group of core players as they reload and hope for better things in 2022. Kelly would seem to fit that billing, as he is controlled through the 2024 season.
While Kelly is out of action, the D’Backs would get a chance to give top prospect Daulton Varsho more of a look behind the plate. Varsho has only 56 games and 159 PA at the big league level over the last two seasons, with more of that playing time coming as an outfielder rather than as a catcher. Varsho and Vogt could potentially split catching duties while Kelly is sidelined, with Varsho also playing the outfield on days when Vogt is starting.
Just leave ‘suffered’ out of it. He fractured a wrist.
semantics. why does it matter?
You didn’t capitalize your “S” or “W”. How dare you?
this guy always seems on the verge of a breakout and than something derails him.
awkward
What a bummer. With Arizona stumbling this year Kelly was one of their bright spots.
Hope he recovers quickly.
Agreed. I voted for him on my ASG ballot.
So you’re the one..
Anyone with the perseverance to make it to the bigs deserves some love.
why would you vote for him?
Voting began more than two weeks ago.
He has been a good player. but Posey and Realmuto are both more deserving this season. Voting for lesser players or lesser preforming players is why All-star appearances are dumb for assessing a players legacy.
Say you’re a Diamondbacks fan. Do you vote for nobody on your team? There has to be at least one representative of each team. Kelly has the top bWAR for Arizona.
They don’t all get a starter. Starters are reserved for the best at their position.
Diamondbacks may have to look for someone with curse removal experience
Bad enough it happened at home in Arizona in front of an entire stadium full of Dodger fans. Heres to a speedy full recovery.
How’s about a nice and leisurely full recovery?
It was called Grammar school for a reason. Stick with with it.
Three versus the Dodgers followed by three versus the Brewers. It’s shaping up as a brutal homestand for the Diamondbacks. Those guys probably can’t wait to hit the road.
Oh, wait…
I love Kelly Clarkson
Well..the O’s just designated Sisco..rearranging the deck chairs is usually the cheapest way of redecorating.
Or they recall Varsho and give him a shot behind the plate. His previous MLB trips resulted in him mostly playing OF
Being a Phillies fan, I have heard about Varsho but didn’t know how much they wanted to play him yet at the top level. Born an Orioles fan , I would like the O’s to get at least a mid level lottery ticket for him. ( more than a 17 yr old maybe ).
The Birds will be good before the Snakes will. And least they have some young talent
What is crazy about the Diamondbacks is they are 20-52 and with the Dodgers, Padres and Giants in the division, they have an outside shot at losing 120 games. At least Phoenix has the Suns.
What happened to the Dbacks?
The offseason before the 2020 season, they acquired Starling Marte, signed MadBum and many people had them pegged as the second best team in the division.
Fast forward to now and they are a complete dumpster fire
Count me as one of the guys who pegged them to be competitive….
There’s talent there, and bright management personnel, from the FO on down; nobody blames the GM or the manager. Could be it’s just small sample size theater. Some teams (Rays, Red Sox) probably aren’t as good as they’ve looked; D-Backs probably aren’t as bad. And they are, as Kelly’s injury shows, (pardon the pun), snakebite.
While I would agree with you for the most part, and obviously they aren’t THIS bad… you aren’t a good team if you lose 16 in a row and 39 out of 44.
It’s rare to see any team in this type of free fall. 6-40 since May 1. As a former player, coach, manager, and umpire I can’t even begin to wrap my head around a skid like that.
If you have ever broken your wrist you would agree with the word suffer
Too bad but that’s unfortunately what happens when you don’t play for GODS team.
Of course our stadium is filled with Dodger fans. They live here now.
Will the Diamondbacks turn to Varsho and have two left handed hitting Catchers on the roster? Might be time to buy Mathis or Lucroy from the Braves
Varsho can’t catch or throw. They should bring up one of their young catchers to see what they have. Ritchie at AAA is hitting like crazy, but he also is challenged behind the plate. The best defensive catcher in the organization is Miroglio at AA, but it looks like he is off to a rough start hitting. Now is the time to see them – it would be idiotic to buy an old catcher for a team slated to lose 110 games.
Wilson Ramos is now a free agent. Can be had for the prorated league minimum and if he hits could be a trade chip at the end of july