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RHP Kelly to join Red Sox bullpen upon return

BOSTON -- When the Boston Red Sox recall right-hander Joe Kelly from Triple-A later this month, they intend to use him as a reliever, a role change that has been speculated about for the past year.

Kelly has been exclusively a starter for the Red Sox since being acquired in the 2014 trade-deadline deal that sent John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals. But he was a closer at the University of California-Riverside and made 30 relief appearances for the Cardinals from 2012-13.

"Power arm. He's done it multiple times, whether it's been in St.