Kelley (forearm) tossed a 1-2-3 inning in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Braves in Grapefruit League play.

EDGE Analysis

Kelley concluded a brutal 2017 campaign on the disabled list after undergoing a stem-cell injection for his throwing elbow, but his strong showing Sunday likely assuaged some of the concern the Nationals may have had about his health heading into the upcoming campaign. According to Jamal Collier of MLB.com, manager Dave Martinez indicated that he was eager to get Kelley in a game early in spring training to ensure the right-hander has several opportunities to gear up for 2018 and perhaps reestablish himself as a dependable contributor in the bridge to closer Sean Doolittle. If Kelley skirts the injury woes that plagued him last season, it wouldn't be surprising if he staged a dramatic turnaround. After all, Kelley was one of the top setup men in the majors as recently as 2016, submitting a 2.64 ERA and 12.4 K/9 rate across 58 innings.