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Red Sox reliever wants first baseball card — and to solidify himself as big leaguer in Year 5
- Story by
- Red Sox reliever wants first baseball card — and to solidify himself as big leaguer in Year 5
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly wants his own baseball card — and he's not being shy about it.
Kelly has appeared in 98 big league games over the last four seasons and even got a key out for the Red Sox in Game 2 of their Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium last fall. He could be a big part of Boston 's late-inning mix in 2026 and might even reach arbitration this fall. Still, though, he has yet to be featured on an official card.
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Knowing that's the case, Kelly took matters into his own hands last week during Boston's annual Photo Day at Fenway South. Posing for a headshot, Kelly smiled as he held up a paper with his name, number and an added message.
"5th year in MLB," he wrote in permanent marker. "Can I please have a card?"
For the 30-year-old Kelly, it was a lighthearted moment that might not bear any fruit (Kelly said over the weekend he has not yet heard from Topps). If it does, though, the accomplishment will be a meaningful one for a former undrafted free agent and his three-year-old son, Kayden, who was born four days after his dad's major league debut in 2022.
"Down the road when I'm done playing, I think it would be something cool to have," Kelly said. "I have a room in my house that has a bunch of stuff I've collected: bats, jerseys from guys, lineup cards and awards. I think it would be cool to have (cards) in there.
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"My son has started collecting cards. Every time we go to a store, he asks, 'Where's your card at, Daddy?' and I have to tell him I don't have one. He gets super excited whenever he gets one of our guys. Last week, he pulled one and it was a Kristian Campbell card and he was so excited. I think it'd be cool if he could do that and find one of mine one day."
Kelly acknowledged he doesn't know the exact process behind being eligible for a card. The only Kelly cards in existence, he believes, are from the annual Worcester Red Sox team-issued set in each of the last five years.
"I have more than anybody else, actually," he said. "It's true because only one guy has been a WooSox every single season (of their existence)."
As much as Kelly has enjoyed his time in Worcester, where he has made 92 appearances since making his Triple-A debut in 2021, he's hopeful to not be included in the WooSox team card set for a sixth time. After a strong finish to an up-and-down 2025, Kelly is hoping 2026 will be the year he becomes a bonafide, no-doubt big leaguer who can help the Red Sox in the late innings over a 162-game span.
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A noticeably leaner Kelly took the club's challenge of improving his conditioning over the winter. Next, it's about answering the bell when it comes to consistency, especially in terms of strike-throwing on an outing-to-outing basis.
"This year, I really tried to dive in, understanding where I'm at in my career," Kelly said. "I don't want to say it's a 'make-or-break point' but I definitely feel there were things I could have done better in the past to put myself in a better position. It's been a couple years of the up-and-down game for me and I'm just ready to move past that."
Kelly's Red Sox tenure, which started when he signed a minor league deal while rehabbing from elbow surgery in December 2020, has been eventful, to say the least. A 13-outing cameo after his debut at the end of 2022 was followed by a milestone, as Kelly made the Opening Day roster in 2023. He blew out his elbow five outings later and missed nearly all of that season. In 2024, he didn't make the Opening Day roster, then came up in late April and had a 1.78 ERA in 25 first-half appearances. Kelly hit the wall in the second half and posted a 7.59 ERA in 24 second-half games before being sent down to Worcester in mid-September.
Last season saw Kelly start and end the season with the big league club while being sent down three times (and sidelined due to an oblique injury in the middle of the year) . During the summer, especially around the time the Red Sox had to v oid an option to place him on the injured list with the oblique issue, Kelly questioned his place in the organization. A strong finish (2.84 ERA, 10-to-3 strikeout-to-walk rate) in 11 September games reinvigorated him.
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"There have been certain times I don't really know how safe my spot is on the roster," Kelly said. "Looking in the mirror, this is a place I want to be at. You can either make that commitment and put yourself in a position to stay here and stay in this organization to play in Boston, or you don't know what's going to happen. I feel like I'm in a lot better spot now than I ever have been."
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has always praised Kelly as having one of the best pure pitch mixes in the organization. Consistency has been the issue, though, with Kelly's struggles with control leading to the manager losing trust. In September, Kelly cited an honest conversation with his wife, Brittany , as an important step in his efforts to be more consistent. There were also spirited conversations with Cora and other Red Sox coaches.
"It was basically an honest conversation like, 'If you want to be on this playoff roster, you better figure this (expletive) out,'" Kelly said. "I felt like I handled that professionally and the last three weeks of September, I felt like I was a big part of what we were able to accomplish.
"It's being available and being in the strike zone. Stuff, for me, has never been in question. I'm confident I have the stuff to compete with the best of the guys in the big leagues. It's always been about being in the zone. Especially for me as a reliever, coming in a lot of times with guys on, you have to sell out to be in the zone."
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Kelly made the postseason roster and got a big out for the Red Sox in their Game 2 loss to the Yankees . With the game tied, 3-3, in the sixth inning and two men on base, Kelly worked his way back from a 3-0 count to strike out Anthony Volpe on a check swing, dotting a 97 mph pitch to keep the game tied. That moment left him wanting more.
"It was pretty special," Kelly said. "My debut is always gonna be No. 1... but running into that environment, and never being there, that was pretty special."
Kelly, who will make his Grapefruit League debut Monday in Port Charlotte, is fully healthy entering camp and in the mix for high-leverage innings ahead of setup man Garrett Whitlock and closer Aroldis Chapman . In the eyes of Cora, the goal for Kelly is a simple one.
"Be consistent," Cora said. "You see that the body is different. This is something where we challenged him a few years ago and finally, he was able to execute during the offseason. He looks great. Now, it's about getting Zack to be good two or three times a week, not only once."
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A consistent version of Kelly would be big for the Red Sox in 2026. And who knows? It might lead to a Topps card, too.
"I was just trying to have a little fun with it," he said. "It's unfortunate that I still do not have a Major League Baseball card. I wanted to see if anything would happen."
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