The Philadelphia Phillies placed right-hander Brad Keller on the 15-day injured list Thursday after tests revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
The move is retroactive to July 13. Philadelphia recalled right-hander Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Keller’s place on the active roster.
Keller is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to ESPN. Surgery could also sideline him for much or all of 2027, though the Phillies have not announced a treatment plan.
The 30-year-old had become one of Philadelphia’s primary late-inning options after signing with the club during the offseason. Keller went 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA, three saves and a team-high 13 holds in 32 relief appearances. He struck out 32 batters over 31 1/3 innings.
For his career, Keller has gone 44-60 with a 4.13 ERA and 645 strikeouts in 821 1/3 innings pitched. He has appeared in 266 games (117 starts) over his nine seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Phillies.
Keller had only recently returned from an earlier injury absence, making his latest appearance on July 8 against the Cincinnati Reds after missing nearly a month.
His loss leaves the Phillies with another hole to address ahead of the trade deadline. Jhoan Duran has provided stability at the back of the bullpen, but Philadelphia was already expected to pursue additional relief help before Keller’s diagnosis.
Johnson returns after spending most of the year with Lehigh Valley. He is 1-0 with a 7.15 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings across 11 appearances with the Phillies this season.
