Phillies reliever Brad Keller likely to miss rest of the season with torn elbow ligament
Keller has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a blow to the Phillies' bullpen, which could become the top priority before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Brad Keller, the Phillies’ highest-paid reliever and primary piece in the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran, has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team announced Thursday.
Keller likely will miss the rest of the season.
It’s a blow to the Phillies’ bullpen, which could become the top priority before the trade deadline at 6 p.m. on Aug. 3. The Phillies already were seeking a lefty reliever given the struggles of Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks.
» READ MORE: Baseball celebrated itself with All-Star Week. Next up: Avoiding self-destruction with a looming labor fight
The Phillies signed Keller to a two-year, $22 million contract in the offseason, a rare instance in which president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski committed more than one year to a free agent reliever. The 30-year-old righty rebounded from a rough start before going on the injured list last month and missing nearly three weeks with inflammation in his right elbow.
Keller returned last week but pitched only once — and not at all during last weekend’s series in Detroit. Interim manager Don Mattingly said last Sunday that the Phillies were intentionally trying to stay away from Keller.
In 32 appearances, Keller had a 4.02 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 31⅓ innings.
Orion Kerkering was emerging as the top setup man for Duran in Keller’s absence. Now, righty Jonathan Bowlan will step into a higher-leverage role, too, as the Phillies look for bullpen help.
This story will be updated.
