Phillies get awful Brad Keller injury news after $22 million contract decision with 2027 concern

1 hour ago 2

The Philadelphia Phillies didn't make a ton of outside additions during the 2025-2026 offseason, but they did bring in Adolis Garcia on a one-year, $10 million deal and Brad Keller on a two-year, $22 million deal.

Garcia is out for the season with an injury, and now Keller, who's been dealing with injuries all season, is likely to join Garcia.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan reported, Keller is heading to the injured list with a torn UCL in his right elbow and is "expected to miss the rest of the season." But that's not all. Passan also notes there's legitimate concern for 2027, which makes this injury a lot worse.

Phillies' Brad Keller out for 2026 season, maybe even much of 2027 as well

"Phillies reliever Brad Keller has a torn UCL and is expected to miss the rest of the season," Passan reports. "If he undergoes surgery on his right elbow, it would keep him out a significant portion, if not all, of 2027 as well. Keller signed a two-year, $22 million deal over the winter."

This is an absolutely brutal update for the Phillies and for Keller. The right-hander, formerly with the Chicago Cubs, signed a two-year, $22 million deal over the offseason with the Phillies.

Now, with Keller likely to miss the rest of the 2026 season, and potentially even all of the 2027 season, he might've made just 32 appearances for the Phillies with a 4.02 ERA, 0.6 bWAR, and 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.

MORE: Phillies could get involved with Mason Miller again after trade rumor

For how much the Phillies spent to bring him in, this is a huge development. Keller is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season due to this UCL injury.

But if he has surgery, he could miss a whole lot longer as well. If the Phillies' bullpen need wasn't clear before, it's especially important now that Keller is a non-factor from here on out for the Phillies.

It's a brutal blow for the 30-year-old Keller, and for the Phillies as well. The bullpen need is greater than ever for the Phillies, and now the Phillies might even need help during the 2027 season if Passan's speculation over an extended absence comes true.