Stuck in baseball purgatory, Michael Kelly never lost sight of the end goal.
On June 4, 2024, Kelly was one of five players suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the league’s sports betting policy. Kelly, who at the time was performing as one of the top relievers in the Athletics' bullpen, with a 2.59 ERA through 28 games, received a one-year suspension without pay.
With June 5, 2025, the earliest Kelly could return to the mound, he went back home to Texas and continued to maintain his arm in throwing shape with that date in mind. Partnering with former Major Leaguers Josh Tomlin and Steven Hill, Kelly started up Catch 43, a baseball training facility in Tyler, Texas, which in addition to serving as a place for professionals to train, also offers classes for youth players from ages 4-14.
"I’ve been trying to help the future generation of the game,” Kelly said. “I made the most of the time.”
Kelly got after it for 12 months with the hope that he could return to the A’s or elsewhere once his suspension was up. In early May, he reported to the club’s Spring Training complex in Mesa, Ariz., to work out in preparation for his impending return.
Last Thursday -- June 5 -- Kelly was finally back on a Major League mound, and despite going over a year since his previous outing, there were no signs of rust. The 32-year-old right-hander contributed to a 14-3 A’s victory, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.
"The focus that he had to have, it’s easy to be distracted when you get away from the game and you don’t feel like there’s a timeline,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He had a timeline, but it was so far away for him. But he continued to work out and kept his arm in shape. He continued to believe that he’d get that opportunity. It’s nice to give someone a second chance and to give someone that opportunity to come back and play the game that he loves. He’s been through a lot, and it was his own doing, but everyone deserves that [second] opportunity, I think.”
Kotsay formed a close bond with Kelly last year prior to the suspension, which made the decision to close off all communication with the reliever for the past year a difficult one.
Once Kelly returned last week, though, he greeted his skipper with a great honor: Kelly and his wife Kimberly chose Kotsay to be godfather to their newborn daughter, Kenza.
"I got the blessing to be told this morning that I’m his daughter Kenza’s godfather,” Kotsay said last Thursday. “Which was probably my favorite part of the day. Then, to have him in a game today and to see him go through that and have success, it couldn’t have been a better day.”
Kelly, who has posted two scoreless appearances since his return, is a welcome addition to an A’s bullpen that has struggled over the past month. With the team still looking to shore up the late innings, Kelly could soon emerge as a high-leverage option.
"It’s exciting to be back,” Kelly said. “I’ve been using the past 12 months to hone my craft and make sure I’m ready to go. … I’m just going to do my part. When I get the opportunity to get out there, I’m going to attack hitters and be aggressive like I always try to do.”