Diamondbacks Reveal Starting Lineup for Merrill Kelly's Return

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will make his long-awaited return to a real-game mound on Friday night, taking on the Kansas City Royals in Surprise.

Kelly has yet to make an appearance in Cactus League play after he was forced to shut down his throwing with a mid-back issue stemming from intercostal nerve irritation — the same issue that removed him from the opening day starter's role.

The Diamondbacks have revealed their starting lineup for Friday's game — Kelly's return.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Lineup for Merrill Kelly's Return

Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Druw Jones during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale on Feb. 19, 2024. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona's lineup for the contest is as follows:

1 - RF Jorge Barrosa

2 - SS Ildemaro Vargas

3 - DH Demetrio Crisantes

4 - LF A.J. Vukovich

5 - 1B Ben McLaughlin

6 - C Aramis Garcia

7 - 3B Jansel Luis

8 - CF Druw Jones

9 - 2B Tommy Troy

With the World Baseball Classic still in process, Arizona's lineups remain mostly contingent on young prospects and minor league players. Outfielder Druw Jones, however, is returning from the tournament, after the Kingdom of the Netherlands was eliminated from pool play.

Jones was, perhaps surprisingly, the Netherlands' most impressive hitter. He hit to a .400/.563/.500 slash and 1.063 OPS with a double, tow RBI, five walks and two runs scored. His outfield defense was on point, as well. His Hall of Fame father Andruw Jones was the manager of Team Netherlands.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly Returns to Action

Kelly's start will be an intriguing one for D-backs fans to monitor. The veteran right-hander, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal to return to Arizona this offseason, has yet to throw a pitch in a real spring training game.

Kelly's ramp-up period is significantly behind the other starters, with right-hander Zac Gallen being given his fourth consecutive opening day start in Kelly's stead.

It remains unknown at this point whether or not Kelly will be forced to spend the first time through Arizona's rotation order on the injured list. He may be able to avoid that, but there would be a high likelihood his ramp-up would only get him to around three or four innings, rather than the five-inning, 65-pitch region that would be preferable to the D-backs.

Kelly's efficiency and effectiveness may be shaking off some rust against the Royals Friday night as a result,. Encouragingly, however, Kelly has felt good since his initial downtime, and there has been no structural damage reported.