The Boston Red Sox decided to part ways with veteran pitcher Zack Kelly.
MLB free agency officially began on Monday night, and before it did, the Red Sox opted to DFA Kelly, who then elected free agency after he was removed from the roster.
After the Red Sox opted to move on from Kelly, he posted a heartfelt message on social media.
Zack Kelly Breaks Silence on Boston Red Sox Release
Boston signed Kelly to a minor-league deal in 2021, and it paid off massively.
The right-hander made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2022 and spent time between the minors and MLB in 2023. He was a full-time reliever in 2024 and 2025, and was on that path again this year before an injury.
Kelly was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his olecranon bone in late July, which ended his season. After having to be added back to the 40-man roster, Boston opted to DFA him.
Now that Kelly is officially a free agent, he took to X to share a heartfelt message to the Red Sox organization and fans.
“What a ride! I’m grateful to have been a part of such a historic organization the last 6 years. Playing at Fenway Park was incredible and something I never took for granted. Thank you to the organization, my teammates, and the fans for being behind us every single night. Looking forward to the next chapter,” Kelly wrote on X.
Kelly went 0-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 17 games this season. In his five-year MLB career with the Red Sox, the right-hander is 8-8 with a 4.04 ERA in 115 games.
Kelly should be able to sign an MLB deal with another team, as he’s proven to be a solid reliever.
Boston’s Bullpen a Strong Point
Although the Red Sox released Kelly, Boston should still have a good bullpen.
Red Sox reporter Ian Browne of MLB.com said he expects the bullpen to be a strong point.
“The bullpen has as good a 1-2 punch as you can have with Whitlock in the eighth and Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. One underrated thing that really crushed the Red Sox going into the playoffs was the injury to Tyron Guerrero, not to mention Justin Slaten going down a few weeks before that,” Browne wrote.
“I think that each year in the playoffs, the teams that go deep into October have one strong bullpen option after another they throw at you from about the fifth through ninth innings. The Red Sox already have the makings of a strong bullpen. But they should continue to keep adding to it whenever possible.”
With the bullpen being a strong point, the Red Sox still didn’t feel like Kelly was going to part of it.
Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Breaks Silence After Release