Kelly solid in spring debut but expected to open season on IL

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Merrill Kelly's back held up well during his first Cactus League outing of the spring, but despite all going well, the Diamondbacks right-hander expects to open the season on the injured list.

Kelly's debut this spring was delayed by a back issue he experienced warming up for a live batting practice session Feb. 21. Friday, he did not experience any issues with the back while allowing a pair of runs in 1 2/3 innings in the D-backs' 11-5 win over the Royals at Surprise Stadium.

Kelly threw 36 pitches, 23 for strikes, and was pleased with how he felt.

"Back felt good, so that's the priority for today," Kelly said. "We can check that box and keep moving [forward]."

Even with his back healthy right now, there might not be enough time between now and the March 26 opener against the Dodgers in Los Angeles for Kelly to build up his pitch count. He had been tabbed to start Opening Day before the injury and there was hope after it that he would be able to build up enough to be on the roster for the opener and pitch at the backend of the rotation.

That no longer appears to be the case.

"I'll say not very good," Kelly said of his chances of being on the opening roster. "I won't go into depth on what the tentative plan is right now, but yeah, as of right now, not very good. It's disappointing. I think about Opening Day with the boys in L.A., the team, the idea of maybe missing that is obviously not fun. Opening Day is special, especially in L.A. I think that'll be the first one I've missed since my debut [in 2019]. If that's the case, obviously, anytime you're away from the team, and not enjoying being a part of it is a little bit disappointing. But hopefully it shouldn't be too far after that."

A player can be backdated when placed on the injured list after Spring Training by three days. If the Diamondbacks indeed do that with Kelly, it's possible he could only miss the first 12 days (not games, days) of the season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the team has certainly discussed starting Kelly in the IL.

“I want to be a dreamer, but I think he knows full well that it's a long shot,” Lovullo said. “And we just have to take care of our athletes and make sure that they're in the right spot to go out and compete every single night, or in his case, every fifth day.”

For Kelly right now, the biggest thing is that not only did his back not bother him during the outing, he was able to put it completely out of his mind, which is another big box for him to check.

"Just get as ready as I can," Kelly said of his focus going forward. "Obviously, I won't be ready to break camp, but just like I said, stay the course. Now that we're -- in my mind -- past the back stuff I can focus on those couple pitches that need a little bit of sharpening."