Joe Kelly yielded two runs -- one earned -- in two innings and walked three against the Yankees on Thursday. The Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss is predicting that the Cardinals will make Kelly their fifth starter and send Shelby Miller down to Triple-A. That would make Kelly worth using in NL-only leagues early on. Still, he could eventually get bumped back to middle relief by someone with more upside, whether it's Miller, Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez.

Joe Kelly started and pitched two hitless innings against the Astros on Friday. Kelly should be the fallback choice as the Cardinals' fifth starter in case one of the team's higher upside guys fails to win the job. His secondary stuff is a bit lacking, limiting his ceiling, but he was plenty effective in amassing a 3.53 ERA in 107 innings last year.

Joe Kelly gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings in a victory Monday as the Cardinals topped the Mets 5-4. The Mets were bidding for a comeback in the ninth, but Andres Torres' leadoff double was erased on appeal when first-base ump David Rackley said he missed the bag. Replays were inconclusive. Jason Motte finished the ninth from there for his 33rd save, but the Mets lingered on the field afterwards, jawing with Rackley. The Cardinals' win guaranteed that they'd stay ahead of the Dodgers in the wild card standings for at least another day. Kelly is 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA.

Joe Kelly was shelled for five earned runs in five innings Wednesday in a loss to the Pirates. It was Kelly's first start since his mid-August demotion to the bullpen, and he did not look sharp. Pittsburgh scored one run in the first inning off a Garrett Jones RBI double and three runs in the third when Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run bomb to right field. Kelly's ERA jumped from 3.26 to 3.61.

Joe Kelly will move from the bullpen to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates. Kelly is replacing Lance Lynn in the starting rotation, who's being banished after posting a 5.89 ERA over his last 12 starts. Jaime Garcia returned from the disabled list Sunday, and will function as the Cardinals' fifth starter going forward.

Joe Kelly has been shifted to the bullpen. Jaime Garcia (shoulder) is set to return from the disabled list Sunday, so the Cardinals had to open a rotation spot. Kelly, 24, posted a solid 3.41 ERA over his first 12 major league starts this season. He will operate as a long reliever.

The Cardinals are expected to move Joe Kelly to the bullpen when Jaime Garcia (shoulder) returns. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold confirms a six-man rotation is "not in play," but it's possible Kelly could be used as a situational fill-in for Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch suggests Lynn is a bullpen candidate in an effort to lower his workload, though that seems unlikely.

Joe Kelly didn't have his best stuff on Friday, but battled through 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs on 10 hits in a victory over the Brewers. Kelly walked two and struck out four in the game. All three runs he allowed came around in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run single from opposing pitcher Randy Wolf. Not to be outdone, Kelly returned the favor with an RBI single of his own in the fifth inning, putting the Cardinals ahead to stay. He's having a nice rookie season, and will take a 2-4 record and 3.14 ERA into Wednesday's home start against the Giants. He deserves a look in most mixed leagues, especially with the backing of the strong Cardinals offense.

Joe Kelly yielded three runs in 6 1/3 innings Saturday in a loss to the Cubs. Kelly allowed five hits and a walk to go along with six strikeouts. He gave up a two-run triple in the first inning while the third run was charged to him after he was replaced by Brian Fuentes in the bottom of the seventh. This was his longest outing since his promotion in June while he has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts. He'll carry a surprising 2.96 ERA into a start against the struggling Brewers next week and makes for a decent streaming option in mixed leagues.

Joe Kelly allowed just one unearned run on two hits in six innings Sunday, taking a no-decision in St. Louis' 5-4 win over the Marlins. Kelly struck out five and walked five. Kelly has exceeded expectations since joining St. Louis' rotation on June 10, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 21/13 K/BB ratio through 33 1/3 innings. His WHIP and K/BB ratio foretell darker days ahead, but there's no reason for Kelly to be unowned in NL-only leagues. He's a decent streaming option in deeper mixed formats.