Red Sox pitcher Zack Kelly continues rehab assignment with Single-A Salem

Red Sox

Kelly pitched in a professional game for the second time since April, and he did so in a Virginia ballpark that he knows all too well.

After a devastating injury put his season in jeopardy, a Red Sox fan favorite could soon be making a return to Fenway Park.

Reliever Zack Kelly continued his rehab assignment on Tuesday, starting for Single-A Salem down in Virginia on a 20-pitch limit. It was the second game he’s played since he was placed on the injury list earlier this year, as he pitched for High-A Greenville on Friday.

Kelly had been sidelined since April 12, when he fell to the ground with tears in his eyes after throwing a pitch that appeared to have hurt his right elbow. He left the game shortly after and eventually underwent surgery on his elbow before being placed on the 60-day injury list.

This was no ordinary rehab game for Kelly, though. He pitched in Salem’s Carilion Clinic Field, about a 20-minute drive from the Daleville, Va. native’s high school. According to The Roanoke Times’ Marc Berman, close to 80-100 friends and family members attended Kelly’s game, including his parents, wife, and even his former youth pastor. 

“It was really cool,” Kelly told Berman. “Obviously I haven’t pitched [around] here in a long time.”