Kelly is expected to be Boston's set up man after it was learned Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) will "most likely" begin the season on the disabled list, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kelly flourished as a full-time reliever last season, particularly his finish to the 2016 season in Boston, but has had an uneven spring, with seven strikeouts and seven walks over eight innings. Manager John Farrell feels Kelly is trying to be too perfect on every pitch and wants the right-hander to trust his stuff and get ahead of batters. As the eighth-inning reliever, Kelly is in position for save opportunities when closer Craig Kimbrel is not available.