Casey Kelly: (Elbow) Targeting April For Possible Rehab Games

Kelly's recovery from Tommy John surgery has gone well, and the right-hander is targeting April to pitch in games "of some sort", MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.

Analysis:

Kelly had surgery in April 2013 and was always a long shot to reach the majors by Opening Day. A return in May or June should be in play, as he seems to be progressing at the expected pace, if not a bit faster. After missing the entire 2013 season, Kelly will likely require a lengthy rehab assignment before rejoining the Padres, and he may start the process at extended spring training. His fantasy prospects got a slight bump recently with the news that Cory Luebke is facing another Tommy John surgery. The Padres still figure to have six or seven intriguing arms healthy for spring training, meaning that Kelly will likely have to earn his spot in the rotation. Of course, as good as the Padres' pitching depth looks on paper, injuries and ineffectiveness may take a toll by the time Kelly's ready, and the team is largely relying on inexperienced arms. Kelly's talent and pedigree are intriguing, but there's a very real possibility that he'll spend time in the rotation at Triple-A, even after he's healthy. He only has 29 major-league innings (six starts) to his name, with a 6.21 ERA and 26:10 K:BB ratio in the small sample size.