D-backs Reveal Date for Merrill Kelly's First Spring Start

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will make his first start of spring training this week against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, according to manager Torey Lovullo (first reported by Arizona Sports 98.7's Alex Weiner).

Kelly has been sidelined for some time, after he was forced to shut down his throwing as a result of mid-back tightness caused by intercostal nerve irritation. Friday night's game will be a night game, with a 6:05 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Surprise Stadium.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly to Debut vs Royals

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly. — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) during spring training workouts on Feb. 10, 2026, at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kelly has been on a positive progression for some time. Barring a setback, he'll be able to get his work in quickly enough this spring to be able to slot into the back end of the rotation.

Unfortunately, he will be forced to miss making the opening day start, plunging the D-backs into uncertainty regarding March 26 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

But the 37-year-old Kelly, who returned to Arizona on a two-year, $40 million deal this offseason, appears to have avoided serious issue for the time being.

His imaging came back clean, and he has not noted any problems since getting back into his throwing program, getting into bullpen sessions and live batting practice without trouble.

It is unclear as of this writing exactly how long Kelly will go, or if his outing will include an up-down. He may be on a strict pitch count, or limited to just one inning.

The Kelly news comes alongside the news that star outfielder Corbin Carroll — who suffered a hamate bone fracture and had to undergo surgery at the advent of spring training — will also be returning to real-game action this week. Carroll will get into a Cactus League game as the DH on Wednesday against the Athletics as he continues his upward trajectory.

The D-backs will still have a decision to make about Kelly's usage at the advent of the regular season. The team may want to avoid heavily taxing their bullpen in the first week of the season if Kelly is not built up enough to provide more than a short start.

“I don’t know what that answer is. We don’t want to hamstring our bullpen. We want to make sure everybody’s comfortable, stretched out,” Lovullo told Weiner.

“The first two times through the starting rotation, anything is possible. You’re not sure how far your starting pitchers are going to go and it’s usually very taxing on the bullpen. We got to see how far we can take this with Merrill and then make that decision.”