Former D-backs Pitcher Has Bizarre End to First Rangers Start

Arizona's former starter was cruising in his first non-Diamondbacks start, until he wasn't.

Aug 2, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (23) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, the Arizona Diamondbacks were forced to say goodbye to one of their franchise staples.

Right-hander Merrill Kelly, after spending parts of seven major league seasons in Arizona, was traded to the Texas Rangers on Thursday for three high-ranked pitching prospects.

Related Content: Diamondbacks GM Explains Merrill Kelly Trade

Kelly was the model of consistency with the D-backs, pitching to a 3.74 ERA over 953 innings. He had a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts to begin 2025.

Kelly's first start with the Rangers began in dominant, efficient fashion. But it ended in a very uncharacteristic manner on Saturday facing the Mariners.

Kelly got a look at three former teammates, pitching to Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suárez and Dominic Canzone in three straight at-bats.

Former Diamondback Merrill Kelly's first Rangers Start Ends Abruptly

Kelly began his outing looking like his usual excellent self. He set down 15 of the first 16 batters faced, allowing only a weak single through five innings.

But Kelly served up a ground-rule double to open the sixth. Still, he sat at just 58 pitches with one out and a runner at first.

But then, Kelly began to break down in a way he rarely exhibited in a D-backs uniform. He gave up another single, then disengaged three times without throwing out the runner at first.

That led to a run scoring on a balk, bringing the score to 2-1. He rebounded with a strikeout of MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh, but then gave up a game-tying double to Julio Rodriguez.

After that, Kelly made another very uncharacteristic mistake.

With two outs, the veteran righty induced a weak ground ball off Naylor. Kelly picked up the ball and made an errant throw to third base, rather than collecting the inning-ending out at first base.

The Rangers' bullpen ended the threat, but Kelly was chased after cruising for five innings. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, but struck out six.

While the sixth-inning mistakes were certainly not what D-backs fans would expect from Kelly every five days, Kelly still managed to deliver a reliable start and give his new club a chance to win.

Kelly was not able to secure his first win as a member of the Rangers, as he exited with the score tied. The Rangers did ultimately prevail, however winning 6-4 in 11 innings.

Merrill Kelly makes a solid first impression in that Rangers uni 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1PQIcdDkQg

— Victory+ (@victoryplustv) August 2, 2025

Kelly's loss will still be felt heavily in Arizona, as Anthony DeSclafani gave up four runs over 2.1 innings in his first start taking Kelly's place for the D-backs.

Perhaps it's just an adjustment period for Kelly with his new club.

In all likelihood, Kelly will be an extremely reliable arm for the Rangers in their search of a playoff berth, joining a rotation already stocked with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.

And a D-backs reunion this offseason may not be entirely out of the question, though the concept is generally an unlikely occurrence.

 "If I do [get traded], yeah, there's always a possibility that I would come back here," Kelly told Diamondbacks On SI's Jack Sommers.

"The front office knows how fond I am of being [in Arizona] and being home. I know my wife is fond of being here and being home. Regardless of what happens after the 31st, being here is never off the table."