Sat Jun 28 | 18:22 | Carson Kelly Heads to the Bench |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. This appears to be a routine rest day for Kelly who has started in each of the last two games. During that span, Kelly went 3-for-7 with an RBI, one walk, and two runs scored. In his absence, Reese McGuire will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday. Fantasy managers should remove Kelly from their lineups ahead of first pitch. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Jun 20 | 12:52 | Carson Kelly Absent Friday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is out of the team's lineup for their series opener against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday. Reese McGuire will be behind the plate and batting ninth in his absence while the Mariners run out right-handed hurler George Kirby to the mound. The veteran has scuffled at the dish recently, batting a paltry .104 (5-for-48) over 14 appearances since May 27, and hit .203 as a whole across the month of May. Kelly's plate discipline has improved in 2025, but the dismal stretch has brought his overall average down to an undesirable .238. |
Source: MLB | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Jun 13 | 12:46 | Carson Kelly Sitting on Friday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is not in his team's lineup for their Friday matchup with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Teammate Reese McGuire will operate behind the plate and bat ninth. Kelly is amid a brutal cold stretch at the dish, notching just four hits in his previous 37 at-bats. Despite the recent slump, he's having a fine season through his first 43 appearances, slashing .250/.365/.486 with four doubles, nine home runs, 27 runs scored, and 24 RBI. He's undoubtedly taken a step forward in 2025, sporting career-highs in average exit velocity (89.8 MPH), hard-hit rate (42.7%), and BB% (15.0%), while dropping his strikeout rate to an excellent 14.4%. |
Source: MLB | RotoBaller.com |
Thu Jun 5 | 18:43 | Carson Kelly Gets the Night Off |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Washington Nationals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Kelly who has started the first two games of this series. During that span, Kelly has gone 2-for-9 with two runs scored. In his absence, Reese McGuire will take over behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Jake Irvin. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed May 28 | 19:02 | Carson Kelly Making his Return on Wednesday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (illness) is back behind the plate and is batting fifth on Wednesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and right-hander Tanner Gordon at Wrigley Field. This will be Kelly's first start since May 23 while dealing with a recent illness, but he appeared in two games recently and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run. The 30-year-old veteran will serve as Chicago's primary catcher for the next four to six weeks with Miguel Amaya (oblique) on the 10-day injured list. Kelly hasn't been as good in May, but he's still slashing a strong .298/.422/.606 on the year with a 1.028 OPS, nine home runs, 24 RBI and 24 runs scored in his 104 total at-bats. He's gone 13-for-54 (.241) with two homers, two doubles, three RBI and 11 runs scored in 16 games in May. Kelly has never faced Gordon in his MLB career. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue May 27 | 17:36 | Carson Kelly Still Under the Weather |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (illness) remains under the weather and won't start on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Reese McGuire will do the catching again for rookie right-hander Cade Horton and will bat in the nine-hole against Rockies right-hander German Marquez. Kelly wasn't feeling good on Sunday and was scratched from the lineup, so this will be his third straight game missed due to an illness. With Miguel Amaya (oblique) recently going on the injured list, the Cubs are down to McGuire as their backstop. The 30-year-old Kelly should be considered day-to-day, and he could rejoin the lineup as early as Wednesday. The 30-year-old McGuire has gone 2-for-7 with two home runs and two RBI in his two games played for the Cubs and will look to keep it going against the worst team in baseball on Tuesday night. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sun May 25 | 12:51 | Carson Kelly Scratched with Illness |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (illness) has been scratched on Sunday due to an illness. As a result, Reese McGuire will enter the starting nine and be behind the dish. He will bat in the nine-hole. Earlier on Sunday, the Cubs officially placed No. 2 catcher Miguel Amaya (oblique) on the IL, which leaves McGuire as the lone healthy backstop this afternoon. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Kelly's status leading up to their next contest on Monday afternoon, facing the Colorado Rockies. Kelly has enjoyed an impressive start to his tenure on the Northside, holding a stellar .301/.425/.612 slash line with nine long balls. Under the hood, he sits in the 92nd percentile in xwOBA. This afternoon, McGuire is worth fading in DFS facing Cincinnati southpaw Nick Lodolo. |
Source: Chicago Cubs | RotoBaller.com |
Sat May 24 | 14:06 | Carson Kelly Sitting on Saturday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly will take a seat during Saturday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds. The veteran backstop has typically alternated starts with Miguel Amaya and will follow suit again on Saturday. During Friday's game, Kelly went 1-for-4 at the plate with a walk. Over his last six games, the 30-year-old has held a .240/.321/.280 line with one double. Through his first 31 games on the Northside, Kelly has been one of the most productive catchers in the sport, boasting a .287/.416/.574 line with eight long balls. Under the hood, Kelly has generated a .390 xwOBA, which places him in the 89th percentile among qualified hitters. This afternoon, Amaya will be behind the dish and bat in the seven-hole. He is best to fade in DFS facing Cincinnati left-hander Andrew Abbott, who has held a strong 1.80 ERA. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue May 6 | 00:25 | Carson Kelly Hits Eighth Homer Of Season Monday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly continued his torrid start to the season in Monday's 9-2 win over the Giants. Kelly went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout. The 30-year-old jumped on a sixth-inning Hayden Birdsong hanging breaking pitch, sending it into the left-field seats. Kelly has been producing at a career-best rate so far, slashing .361/.500/.820 with eight HR and 23 RBI in 80 plate appearances. Kelly has split playing time with Miguel Amaya, who has produced decent offensive numbers. He also has not seen time as a designated hitter. However, he has started to earn a larger share of playing time behind the plate due to his hot bat. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Apr 18 | 18:08 | Carson Kelly Crushes Two Homers In Crazy Cubs Win |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly hit two home runs while collecting five RBI in Chicago's 13-11 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon. The first was a two-run shot off DBacks' starter Corbin Burnes to put the Cubs up 2-0. The second was a three-run shot off Bryce Jarvis that started a six-run eighth inning for Chicago. The 30-year-old now has six HR on the season after his monster game against his former team. His 1.675 OPS may start to earn him more playing time, potentially taking away from Miguel Amaya who's having a strong start to the season as well. Kelly's next chance to do more damage will be Saturday against scheduled DBacks starter Merrill Kelly. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 16 | 15:01 | Carson Kelly Returns In Series Finale Against Padres |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (hand) is back behind the dish to catch left-hander Matthew Boyd in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Kelly will hit eighth in the batting order against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta after missing the first two games of the series in SD due to a left-hander injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Kelly returning, Miguel Amaya will head to the bench. The 30-year-old veteran has had a phenomenal start to his first season with the Cubbies, going 10-for-24 (.417) with four home runs and 13 RBI in nine games played. Kelly isn't going to be this good all year long as he shares playing time with Amaya, but fantasy managers are riding his hot streak early on. He has two hits and an RBI in just four career at-bats against Pivetta. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Apr 15 | 21:16 | Carson Kelly Sitting Again On Tuesday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (hand) is out of the lineup for the second straight day on Tuesday against the Padres. He was hit in the hand by a pitch on Sunday, and while the x-rays came back negative, he's yet to see the field since. Miguel Amaya will get the start instead, who has handled the majority of the catching duties this year for Chicago. Kelly remains day-to-day, with manager Craig Counsell hoping he will be available again sometime this week. Despite the limited plate appearances, he's launched four homers with a .417 batting average in the nine games he has played. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Apr 14 | 21:09 | Carson Kelly Sitting Out On Monday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (wrist) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. Kelly was hit on the wrist by a pitch during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was forced to exit the contest and undergo X-rays to determine the severity of the injury. It appears Kelly has avoided any major injuries to his wrist. For now, Wrist should be considered as day-to-day, but he could land on the injured list if he doesn't get better in a few days. Miguel Amaya will do the catching and bat eighth versus right-hander Dylan Cease on Monday. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Apr 14 | 13:02 | X-Rays Come Back Negative For Carson Kelly |
MLB.com's Taylor McGregor reports that X-rays on Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly's hand came back negative. The 30-year-old took a 93 mph Tyler Glasnow sinker to his left hand in the bottom of the fifth inning on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, forcing him from the contest. Fortunately, he was able to stay in the game another inning before teammate Miguel Amaya replaced him, and his imaging was without concern. Kelly has been fantastic to start the season, batting a blistering .416 with an absurd 1.637 OPS over 24-at-bats. Six of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases, and he's walking a ludicrous 29.1% of the time while holding a stellar 8.1% strikeout rate. There doesn't appear to be too much concern over his hand, so consider him day-to-day for now. Still, fantasy managers will want to monitor his status. |
Source: Taylor McGregor | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Apr 13 | 01:32 | Carson Kelly Homers Twice, Gets On Base Five Times |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly continued his torrid start to the season on Saturday, going 3-for-3 with two homers. Kelly added three runs, three RBI, and two walks to round out his day. The 30-year-old backstop is now up to an incredible .417 AVG and 1.613 OPS to go with four homers, eight runs scored, and 13 RBI. While he isn't currently playing every day, if Kelly continues to hit anywhere close to the level he has so far he could quickly find himself playing more often. That being said, he should only be rostered in two catcher leagues while he is splitting catcher duties. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sat Apr 5 | 21:44 | Carson Kelly Provides Power On Saturday |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly came ready to play during Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres. Kelly batted ninth in the lineup, but that didn't stop him from having a big day at the plate. He started off the scoring with a single in the first inning. Later, Kelly blasted a three-run home run to give the Cubs some more insurance runs. He finished his day at the plate 2-for-3 with a homer, walk, and four RBI. He'll likely continue splitting time behind the plate with Miguel Amaya, but he's making a case for more starts. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Apr 1 | 09:19 | Carson Kelly Completes Cycle To Carry Cubs |
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly went a perfect 4-for-4 on Monday night in Sacramento, hitting for the cycle with a single, a double, a triple, and a home run. He finished with three runs scored, five RBI and a pair of walks as well, as his Cubs rolled to an 18-3 win over the Athletics in Sacramento. Kelly was making his third start of the season, as he continues to share time behind the plate with Miguel Amaya. The 30-year-old veteran is now 5-for-10 (.500) with an unsustainable .671 wOBA on the season after Monday's monster performance. He and Amaya have both looked good at the plate in the early going and remain affordable DFS streaming options whenever they're in Chicago's lineup. |
Source: ESPN.com | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Dec 13 2024 | 19:07 | Carson Kelly Agrees To Two-Year Contract With Cubs |
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Chicago Cubs and free-agent catcher Carson Kelly have agreed to a two-year contract worth $11.5 million. Kelly opened the 2024 campaign catching for the Tigers before finishing his season with the Rangers. Across 91 games in the majors, the veteran backstop carried a .238/.318/.374 slash line with nine doubles, nine home runs, and a 25:55 BB:K. The 30-year-old spent most of his professional career playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2019 through 2023. Overall, Kelly holds a career .224/.307/.373 slash line. Kelly will now likely slot in as the No. 2 option behind Miguel Amaya behind the dish. Last season, Amaya took a nice step forward in his second major-league season, posting an impressive .271/.316/.444 line after the All-Star break. Fantasy managers should still expect Amaya to see most of the starts to open the 2025 season. |
Source: Jeff Passan | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Dec 9 2024 | 15:13 | Carson Kelly Close To Joining The Cubs |
Free-agent catcher Carson Kelly and the Chicago Cubs are making progress toward a deal, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. The Cubs currently have Miguel Amaya as their primary catcher while being backed up by former Angels backstop Matt Thais. If Chicago were to add Kelly, he'd be Amaya's primary backup in 2025. The 30-year-old was a former second-rounder by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 and has nine years of MLB experience with four different teams. He's bounced around a lot the last two years and spent 2024 with the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, slashing a combined .238/.313/.374 with nine home runs and 37 RBI in 91 games. Most of his production came back in Arizona, particularly in 2019, when he hit .245 with a career-high 18 homers. Kelly has decent pop and is a decent defender but won't have much fantasy appeal in a backup role to Amaya. |
Source: New York Post - Jon Heyman | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Jul 28 2024 | 19:56 | Carson Kelly Headed To Rangers |
The Texas Rangers have acquired catcher Carson Kelly from the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. This is far from a blockbuster move, but this gives the Rangers catcher depth behind Jonah Heim. The 30-year-old backstop is slashing .242/.327/.393 with seven home runs and 29 RBI this season. The Tigers were likely looking to open up a roster spot for prospect Dillon Dingler who appears to be ready for the big league level. The assumption is that Dingler will get regular playing time down the stretch of the season with Kelly gone. |
Source: Ken Rosenthal | RotoBaller.com |