Carson Kelly is making a heck of a first impression with Cubs fans.
Kelly’s two-homer day in the Cubs’ victory Friday against the Diamondbacks had the Wrigley Field crowd chanting his name, a first for the 10-year major-league veteran.
But as productive as Kelly has been at the plate — a 1.675 OPS and six home runs in 11 games — he’s earning praise for his work behind the plate, too.
On a day in which he launched two long balls and drove in five runs, Kelly got a shoutout for what he did without the bat.
“I just felt like CK was money back there today, I really did,” right-hander Colin Rea said. “We’ve thrown together a few times now, and [we’re] just really meshing well.
“He has a good feel for my pitches. We have a lot of trust right now.”
Kelly has been around awhile, playing for the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Tigers and Rangers before signing a free-agent deal with the Cubs in December.
Though he can’t remember a stretch of offensive success like this one, he has had to learn new staffs before. That ability has impressed the Cubs.
“It’s so impressive to be able to show up with an entirely new team and staff and all the information that goes into how to attack hitters and knowing your pitchers’ strengths and hitters’ weaknesses,” second baseman Nico Hoerner told the Sun-Times on Saturday. “It seems like he’s handled it all seamlessly.”
“That job, you get better at it as you’re with the team,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Now he’s comfortable here, and that’s just developing relationships with the pitchers, knowing them, catching them, understanding when things aren’t going right, how to get them back locked in. And he’s doing a good job of it.”
Offensive success can obviously ebb and flow throughout a season, but what Kelly is doing behind the plate can benefit the Cubs’ pitching staff all year, whether his bat stays hot or not.
Of course, the Cubs will take Kelly hitting like this for as long as possible.
“The stuff on the field has been otherworldly, but even his outs have been hard-hit,” Hoerner said. “Just in [seeing] the behind-the-scenes stuff from early spring, I’m really impressed by his attention to detail and his work. I’m always impressed by any catcher that can hit with as much work as they have behind the scenes dealing with the entire pitching staff.”
How would Kelly’s pitchers try to get him out with the way he’s swinging?
“I don’t know,” Rea said Friday. “I’d probably pitch around him or something.”
Steele’s surgery
Justin Steele is facing a recovery of about a year, Counsell said, after a season-ending elbow injury.
Steele had surgery Friday, posting about it on social media. It was officially a left UCL revision repair, according to the Cubs.
“We’re looking at about a year time frame,” Counsell said. “He’s got a long rehab ahead of him. He’ll get started soon.”
Miller on the mound
Tyson Miller pitched 1„ scoreless innings Saturday for Triple-A Iowa as he gets closer to his return to the majors. He struck out two batters.
Miller had a 2.15 ERA in 49 relief appearances for the Cubs in 2024. He’s making his way back from a hip injury.
The Cubs certainly could use reinforcements in the bullpen, which took an inflated 5.83 ERA, the second-highest in the majors, into the game against the Diamondbacks.