The Phillies reinstated Keller (forearm) from the injured list Wednesday.
Keller had been on the shelf since June 16 with right forearm tendinitis, but after making two rehab appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he's officially been cleared to return to Philadelphia's bullpen. The 30-year-old owns a 4.15 ERA and 1.35 WHIP through 30.1 innings on the season and will likely slide back into a setup role now that he's fully healthy. Seth Johnson was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Returning Wednesday
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The Phillies plan to reinstate Keller (forearm) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Keller made two rehab appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley over the weekend, and the Phillies will give him two days to rest up before activating him from the IL. The right-hander has recoded three saves and 13 holds with a 4.15 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB across 30.1 innings this year.
Keller (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.
Keller has been sidelined by right forearm tendinitis since June 16, but he's now been cleared to return to a game setting and looks to still be on track to return to Philadelphia's bullpen well before the All-Star break.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: On track to return before break
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Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday that Keller (forearm) is expected to return before the All-Star break, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Keller threw a live batting practice session Tuesday and could make a rehab appearance Friday. The right-handed reliever has been sidelined since mid-June with forearm tendinitis, and he might require just the one rehab outing before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Throws live batting practice
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Keller (forearm) completed a live batting practice session Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Phillies manager Don Mattingly said that Keller's next time throwing could be in a rehab game. The reliever looks to be on track to rejoin the big-league bullpen before the All-Star break. He's missed the last two weeks of action with right forearm tendinitis.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Playing catch
Rotowire
Keller (forearm) has progressed to playing catch, MLB.com reports.
The next step in Keller's recovery will entail throwing a bullpen session. The right-hander is working his way back from right forearm tightness, and he should have a chance to rejoin Philadelphia's high-leverage mix at some point in early July.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
The Phillies placed Keller on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sunday, with right forearm tendinitis.
Keller appears to have picked up his forearm injury following his last outing Saturday in Milwaukee, during which he gave up three earned runs in one inning out of the bullpen. He'll now spend at least the next couple of weeks on the shelf, and Max Lazar will come up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the vacancy in Philadelphia's bullpen.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Holds on for third save
Rotowire
Keller picked up the save Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
Closer Jhoan Duran was shaky in his return from the injured list Tuesday, allowing one run in the ninth frame, and he was presumably unavailable to work back-to-back days immediately after coming off the IL. Keller let the possible tying run get aboard Wednesday, but he was able to strand the bases loaded for a scoreless outing. The right-hander has converted all three of his save chances while posting a 4.02 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB over 15.2 innings this year, but he'll likely revert back to a setup role once Duran is fully back up to speed.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Grabs second save Monday
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Keller earned the save Monday against the Marlins, allowing two hits in a scoreless ninth inning.
Keller got the job done in the ninth despite some traffic, allowing a pair of singles but limiting the damage to secure the save. After giving up a leadoff hit to Kyle Stowers, the right-hander quickly induced a double play that helped him regain control of the inning. The save was his second in a row with Jhoan Duran still sidelined. Entering Monday Keller struggled recently, allowing runs in three of his last four appearances. The 30-year-old now holds a 4.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 15:4 K:BB across 14.2 innings.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Picks up save Friday
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Keller recorded the save in Friday's 6-5 win over the Marlins, allowing one run on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts in the ninth inning.
Closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) has been sidelined since April 11, and Friday was Keller's first save chance in Duran's absence. Keller has been shaky this season and has now allowed a run in three of his last four appearances. However, he's yet to blow a save opportunity and owns a 1-0 record with four holds and a 4.61 ERA with 15 strikeouts to four walks across 13.2 innings.
Keller walked one in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning Saturday in a loss to Atlanta. He struck out one.
Considering closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) hit the injured list Saturday, Keller's usage in the ninth inning of a 3-1 game is noteworthy. Duran will miss at least two weeks of action, and Keller appears initially to be worthy of a speculative add for fantasy managers in search of saves. Keller has four holds through his first 8.2 innings, registering a 4.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB.
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Phillies' Jhoan Duran: Lands on IL
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The Phillies placed Duran on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, retroactive to Wednesday.
Duran has been dominant as the Phillies' closer to begin the year, posting a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP through 6.2 innings while tallying five saves. However, he hasn't pitched in a week due to his oblique injury and will now remain sidelined until at least April 30. Brad Keller and Jose Alvarado are the leading candidates to pick up saves while Duran is out, and Seth Johnson will come up from Triple-A to round out the bullpen.
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Phillies' Brad Keller: Preparing for setup role
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Keller threw a clean first inning in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit. He struck out one.
Keller needed only 11 pitches to retire the side in his spring debut, with his sinker topping out at 97.3 mph. The 30-year-old signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Phillies over the winter, and Keller is preparing to serve as the primary right-handed setup man for closer Jhoan Duran in 2026, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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Brad Keller: Interest as starter and reliever
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Keller is drawing free-agent interest both as a starter and reliever, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Keller flourished with the Cubs in 2025 in a full-time relief role, collecting a 2.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 75:22 K:BB over 69.2 regular-season innings. He's a good bet to sign somewhere as a high-leverage reliever, but there are also clubs that think the 30-year-old could have success moving back to a starting pitcher role.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Four-out save in Game 3
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Keller issued a walk and struck out two batters over 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up a save in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers on Wednesday.
Keller walked Caleb Durbin on four pitches to load the bases upon entering the game before striking out Jake Bauers to pick up the final out of the eighth inning. The 30-year-old reliever then retired the side in order during the ninth to pick up his second save of the postseason and give the Cubs their first win of the NLDS.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Earns another save Tuesday
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Keller tossed a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.
After recording a one-out save Tuesday, Keller converted a more conventional opportunity a night later, giving him three saves for the season. With Daniel Palencia (shoulder) on the injured list, it was Andrew Kittredge who converted Chicago's first three save opportunities, but Keller now has the last two, with Kittredge working the seventh inning Tuesday. Expect manager Craig Counsell to keep mixing and matching with his veteran relievers to close out games while Palencia is on the shelf, giving Keller a temporary boost in fantasy value.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Converts one-out save
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Keller struck out the only batter he faced to pick up the save in Monday's 4-0 win at Pittsburgh.
After Chicago reliever Porter Hodge loaded the bases with two out in the ninth, Keller stepped in to fire four pitches and strike out Jared Triolo to wrap the contest. This marks Keller's first save since Daniel Palencia (shoulder) was placed on the injured list Sept. 8, as Andrew Kittredge had collected three consecutive saves since then. Keller has been a revelation out of the bullpen for the Cubs this season, firing a 2.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 69:21 K:BB across 65.2 innings. While Kittredge is the odds-on favorite for future save chances, Keller remains in the mix because of his excellent work.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Snaps scoreless streak, takes loss
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Keller (4-2) allowed a run on two hits and a walk across an inning of relief to take the loss Saturday against the Rays.
Keller worked the top of the ninth inning in a 4-4 game and promptly served up a go-ahead home run to Nick Fortes to take the loss. It was the first run allowed by the veteran righty since July 12, a streak of 22 appearances coming into Saturday. Keller still has a sparkling 2.20 ERA and 0.98 WHIP overall, and he should maintain a key role in Chicago's bullpen, though it appears that Andrew Kittredge is the next man up as closer with Daniel Palencia (shoulder) on the injured list.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Could step in as new closer
Rotowire
Keller appears to be the likeliest candidate to take over as the Cubs' closer after Daniel Palencia (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Palencia's availability for the remainder of the season is in jeopardy while he recovers from a right shoulder strain. Keller has been a revelation out of the Cubs bullpen this season and has yet to permit a run over 20 second-half appearances, yielding a total of just three hits over that stretch. If manager Craig Counsell prefers to take a committee approach at closer while Palencia is out, Andrew Kittredge and Caleb Thielbar could also be in the mix for saves along with Keller.
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Cubs' Brad Keller: Extends scoreless streak
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Keller, who logged 1.1 scoreless innings in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, has now recorded eight straight scoreless appearances.
Across those eight appearances, Keller has covered 9.1 innings and struck out 11 batters while allowing just one hit and two walks. It's been a great stretch for the veteran righty, who has been solid all season with a 2.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 8.9 K/9 across 51.1 innings out of the Chicago bullpen. Keller is firmly entrenched as one of the Cubs' top setup options ahead of closer Daniel Palencia.
