Right-hander Merrill Kelly was scratched from his scheduled start on Monday night due to a nerve impingement in his right shoulder, an ominous development for a Diamondbacks team that had been boosted by his results in the rotation this season.
Kelly had been one of the Diamondbacks’ more consistent pitchers this season. Through five starts, he owned a 2.59 ERA in 31 1/3 innings.
With several other starters struggling, it seemed fair to wonder where the Diamondbacks would be without him. It appears they are about to find out.
It is unclear how long Kelly figures to be sidelined, but any injury that requires a pitcher to be shutdown from throwing for a significant amount of time likely will make it difficult to rebuild his stamina for a starter’s workload.