After a season beset by injuries, Brad Keller, a stalwart in the Kansas City Royals’ rotation from 2018 to 2023, has found a home with the Chicago White Sox.
Brad Keller, a right-handed pitcher, has signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox, the organization announced on Friday afternoon.
An invitation to the remainder of Chicago’s major league Spring Training camp in Glendale, Arizona, is included with Keller’s agreement.
After being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 28-year-old played with them for the previous six seasons.
In his first 140.1 innings as a rookie in 2018, Keller went 9–6 with a 3.08 ERA and 4.2 WAR, making a major impact. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he lowered his ERA to 2.47, but it creeped up to 4.19 in 2021.
Keller’s career numbers at that time were 9.0 WAR, 1.285 WHIP, and 3.50 ERA.
But throughout the course of the following several years, Keller’s output began to decline. Keller had a 5.14 ERA, 1.629 WHIP, and 0.2 WAR from 2021 to 2023.
Keller threw more than 130 innings in 2021 and 2022, but he was only able to pitch 45.1 innings in 2023 because to shoulder issues. The righty’s several attempts at rehabilitation were mostly unsuccessful when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list in May due to right shoulder impingement syndrome.
