The Red Sox are already staring down a winter of roster calls, and one of the more interesting ones could involve Zack Kelly. With the 2026 World Series underway, Boston has more time than most to shift its focus toward 2027, and that means decisions are coming fast once the championship series ends.
Boston has already made one early move by signing veteran catcher Riley Adams to compete for the backup job, but that’s only the beginning. Right after the World Series, the Red Sox will need to make option decisions within five days.
Then, in November, they’ll have to decide by Nov. 20 whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. Most of those players are expected to come back, including Jarren Duran.
Kelly, though, looks like a possible exception.
“Zack Kelly,” McAdam wrote. “Last year’s salary: $790,000 (estimated).
Projected salary: $800,000. Sidelined for the entire second half with elbow issues, Kelly is a definite non-tender candidate - even with a projected number just above the major league minimum.”
Kelly has spent all five of his major league seasons in Boston, and the ride has had its ups and downs. In 2026, he appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen and posted a 3.31 ERA, but he also spent time in Triple-A.
Around the trade deadline, there were whispers that other clubs were keeping an eye on him, yet the Red Sox held on to him. Kelly later said he “wouldn’t necessarily be opposed” to a deal, largely because his route back to the majors was unclear.
Boston never pulled the trigger, and then Kelly’s season took a turn when elbow problems knocked him out in the second half. Now the club could wind up losing him for nothing if it chooses not to tender him a contract. That would send him into free agency, where he could sign with any team.
Still, Kelly’s run in a Red Sox uniform has been a useful one. He wasn’t a big-name prospect or a can’t-miss arm; he made it to the majors the hard way and carved out value in the bullpen. Even with 2026 ending the way it did, he should have a shot somewhere in 2027 - whether that ends up being in Boston or not.
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