Philadelphia Phillies' Brad Keller suffers torn UCL, season likely over

PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia Phillies reliever Brad Keller is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season after the club confirmed on Thursday that he has suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.

The 30-year-old right-hander has been placed on the 15-day injured list and will seek a second opinion from renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Keith Meister before deciding whether to undergo surgery.

If an operation is required, Keller could also miss a significant part, if not all, of the 2027 campaign.

"It sucks, for sure," Keller said.

"It was really weird because I felt good through my rehab process with my forearm. I felt good with my outing in Cincinnati. I just woke up the next day and it was really sore and it didn't progress from there."

Keller has posted a 2-1 record with a 4.02 ERA, 32 strikeouts and three saves across 32 appearances this season, matching his career-best total for saves.

The injury is another setback for the Phillies, who were already expected to strengthen their bullpen before the 3rd August trade deadline.

Keller had recently returned from a three-week spell on the injured list with right forearm tendinitis and made a scoreless one-inning appearance against the Cincinnati Reds on 8 July.

The nine-year MLB veteran joined Philadelphia on a two-year, $22 million contract during the off-season after an impressive 2025 campaign with the Chicago Cubs.

It is pertinent to mention that the Phillies have recalled Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace Keller on the 26-man roster.