‘Scary part’ over for Shawn Kelley, who rejoins Rangers’ bullpen
The growths that were removed from Shawn Kelley’s throat were benign and the reliever was activated from the injured list before Tuesday’s game.
It was a big relief for Kelley, who went on the IL on May 9 and had minor surgery on Thursday.
“I really felt everything was going to be OK, and a lot of it was precaution,” said Kelley, who had been one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen this season. “But anytime you start talking about that stuff, it’s obviously scary when you think about it. It’s nice to have the peace of mind knowing you went about it the right way. Everything is good. It’s pretty exciting. I can get back to playing baseball.”
Left-hander Brett Martin was optioned to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Kelley.
Kelley has stitches near his Adam’s apple and is limited with how much he can look straight up until the scar heals. His arm, however, is fine, he said.
“The doctor told me that the scary part is over,” he said. ‘”Rest assured you are in good health. The bad stuff is ruled out.’”
Kelley, who last pitched May 4, has a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings.
