Baseball

Joe Kelly to Wear No. 99 with Dodgers, Opening No. 17 Jersey for Shohei Ohtani

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly throws to an Arizona Diamondbacks batter in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Oct. 9, 2023, in Los Angeles.

12:09 JST, December 12, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reliever Joe Kelly is switching uniform numbers after finalizing his $8 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, opening No. 17 for Shohei Ohtani.

Kelly will wear No. 99 with the Dodgers. Ohtani’s 10-year contract with Los Angeles — worth a record $700 million — was announced by the team on Monday night. The two-way star wore No. 17 with the Los Angeles Angels.

Kelly wore 58 when he started his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. He was No. 56 with the Boston Red Sox from 2014-18 and No. 17 with the Dodgers from 2019-21 and again last season. He also was No. 17 with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 and ’23.

Kelly’s $9.5 million option was declined by the Dodgers last month, triggering a $1 million buyout.

A 35-year-old right-hander, Kelly was 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 11 relief appearances after he was obtained from the White Sox along with Lance Lynn. Kelly went 2-5 with a 4.23 ERA overall in 42 games. Kelly had signed a $17 million, two-year contract with Chicago.

A 12-year big league veteran, Kelly is 53-57 with a 3.95 ERA in 81 starts and 369 relief appearances with St. Louis (2012-14), Boston (2014-18), the Dodgers (2019-21, ’23) and the White Sox (2022-23).