Kelly anchors the trio with deGrom and Leiter, offering innings and stability as Texas navigates Eovaldi’s absence. His steady presence helps cover innings while the team balances workload and keeps its postseason window open.

Kelly matched veteran poise against the A’s, yielding four frames of work and surrendering two solo homers in the third while guiding Texas to a second win since the deadline move. His presence provides stability as Texas leans on a hot offense and a soon-returning deGrom.

Kelly used a changeup-heavy approach in six innings, mixing with a modest fastball to keep Oakland off-balance. He allowed two solo shots but otherwise silenced the Athletics through the first six frames after his Rangers debut. The performance provided a stabilizing element to Texas’ rotation as they push for late-season momentum.

Kelly has been a steady addition for Texas with a 3.10 ERA across his recent innings; his addition at the deadline was a notable payoff as Texas paid prospect price, providing veteran stability.

Merrill Kelly joined the Rangers via trade as an external option. He last pitched July 31 at Seattle and carried an ERA around 5.11 in a stretch spanning five outings. The Rangers project him as a depth arm to augment a rotation stressed by Eovaldi’s injury and Rocker’s developmental path.