Red Sox recall right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly from Triple-A Pawtucket

BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox today recalled right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson was optioned to Pawtucket. Kelly will be active and start tonight's game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 p.m. ET.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Kelly, 26, rejoins the Red Sox for his second stint in the majors this season. Over his 14 starts with Boston this year, the right-hander has gone 2-5 with a 5.67 ERA (47 ER/74.2 IP) and 60 strikeouts. Kelly last appeared for the Red Sox on June 23 against Baltimore and was optioned to Pawtucket two days later. With the PawSox, he made four starts, going 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA (6 ER/19.0 IP) and 18 strikeouts. Kelly's third start on July 8 at Lehigh Valley was limited to just one inning after he was hit by a line drive. Overall with Pawtucket, Kelly held opponents to a .206 batting average (14-for-68) with only one extra-base hit allowed, a two-run home run on June 17 at Durham.

The 24-year-old Johnson made his major league debut in a start for the Red Sox last night in Houston, and took the loss after allowing four runs on three hits over 4.1 innings with four walks and three strikeouts. He was selected to Boston's active major league roster for the first big league stint of his career on July 11. The left-hander will rejoin the PawSox, where he has posted an 8-6 record with a 2.73 ERA (26 ER/85.2 IP) and 81 strikeouts compared to just 26 walks and 68 hits allowed. Entering play today, the 2015 International League All-Star ranks second in the league in WHIP (1.10), tied for second in wins, fourth in opponent batting average (.217), and fifth in ERA.