Merrill Kelly DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (4-2) allowed eight hits and one earned run over seven innings in his team's 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. The 36-year-old struck out eight and walked none in the quality start, picking up his fourth win in 2025. He was fairly efficient, tossing 68 of 103 pitches for strikes and inducing 12 whiffs (nine on his changeup) for a solid 29% CSW. The lone extra-base hit against him came in the bottom of the fifth when Giants' shortstop Willy Adames doubled to lead off the inning and was driven home three batters later by a Christian Koss single. Kelly's underlying metrics aren't too aesthetically pleasing, but he's allowed two or fewer runs in seven of nine starts and more than three just once (nine). Furthermore, he's gone his last three outings sans issuing a free pass (18 1/3 innings). Kelly will look to build on Monday's outing in his next start on Sunday at home against the Colorado Rockies.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (hamstring) is listed as the team's probably pitcher for Wednesday's contest against the visiting New York Mets. Kelly was forced to leave his last start early on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies due to more cramping in his right hamstring, but he's recovered nicely since and will be able to take his next turn in Arizona's starting rotation. However, in a tough matchup against the Mets, fantasy managers should be thinking twice about using Kelly after he's dealt with cramping in two of his last three appearances. Overall, the 36-year-old veteran has pitched well for Arizona and fantasy managers, though, going 3-1 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 27 punchouts and 12 walks in 37 2/3 innings over his seven starts. Kelly still managed to go five innings against the Phillies last week and allowed just one earned run for a no-decision.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly is still dealing with cramping issues. The right-hander was removed from Friday's start due to cramping in his right hamstring. Kelly has dealt with this issue for several seasons. After the game, the 36-year-old said, "We've tried all kinds of things. We've done all kinds of labs, all kinds of hydration stuff. If I had a good answer for you guys, I'd stop cramping." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status over the next few days in case the team decides to push his next scheduled start back. Through his first 37 2/3 innings of work this season, Kelly has posted a 4.06 ERA with a strong 1.06 WHIP. He has struck out just 27 batters. If he were to miss time, Ryne Nelson could be moved to the rotation, as he is currently deployed as a long relief option out of the bullpen.