PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly will start on the mound on Opening Day for the Arizona Diamondbacks next month, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Saturday.
Kelly will get the ball on March 26 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, the 37-year-old’s first career Opening Day start.
Merrill Kelly says he doesn’t take the trust placed in him as the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day starter for granted. pic.twitter.com/bX0soBrWBK
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 14, 2026
The Diamondbacks brought Kelly back this offseason on a two-year deal after having traded him at the deadline to the Texas Rangers.
Kelly had been with Arizona since 2019, and even with the impending return of Zac Gallen after he agreed to a free agent contract on Friday, Kelly will be given the opportunity to kick off the season.
Kelly was eager to come back to Arizona, where he went to Desert Mountain High School, Arizona State, where he lives with his family and has extended family. The D-backs gave him a shot at the major leagues after he had been pitching in South Korea, and he rewarded that trust by becoming a mainstay in the starting rotation over seven seasons.
“If you would’ve asked me in 2015, not even starting Opening Day in Korea, if I would be making an Opening Day start in the big leagues, I probably would’ve told you that you were nuts,” Kelly said during a Q&A at the team’s MVP Party at Chase Field on Saturday.
“Looking back on the journey that I’ve gotten to and being here now and being humbled that Torey and the front office and the team trust me to have that responsibility means a lot. And I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Last year, Kelly made 32 starts with a 3.52 ERA between Arizona and Texas. He owns a 3.47 ERA since the start of 2022.
Kelly’s teammates found out about the reunion at outfielder Alek Thomas’ wedding in Mexico this offseason, which created a quite a stir.
“I overheard him talking about something, and I was like, ‘Did I just hear that right? And he was like, ‘You heard that right,’” pitcher Ryne Nelson said on Tuesday. “Just gave him a big hug. He’s a really good guy to have around with all his knowledge and eagerness to share it with everybody, which I think is a big attribute.”
The Diamondbacks wasted no time with this decision after the Gallen versus Corbin Burnes debate dragged on last spring.
Gallen had started the previous three Opening Day games for the Diamondbacks from 2023-25. Randy Johnson has the club record with six Opening Day starts, followed by Brand Webb’s four.
The Diamondbacks start the year with three games in Los Angeles before returning home for three games against the Detroit Tigers and four versus the Atlanta Braves.
