August 11, 2008 Bobby Kielty's winding major league career will take him back to Minnesota as he signed a minor league contract with the club and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester, according to the Star Tribune.
Our View:Kielty, who played for the Twins in 2001-03, was hitting .228/.348/.391 at Triple-A Pawtucket before his release from the Red Sox organization. At this point he could end up with some at-bats given the injury to Michael Cuddyer, but he isn't anything more than a potential pickup in deep AL-only leagues.
July 13, 2008 Bobby Kielty asked for his release from the Red Sox Triple-A team and it was granted, according to the Boston Globe.
Our View:There was just no room for Kielty in the big leagues, and he apparently thought he would get a better shot elsewhere. Obviously, he holds no fantasy value.
May 28, 2008 Bobby Kielty was reinstated from minor league DL on Tuesday and returned to Triple-A Pawtucket, the Boston Globe reports. He had been out following left hand surgery in late April.
Our View:The Red Sox are flush with outfielders at the major league level, but Kielty is a nice reserve to have stored down in the minors. If he can play well, it might free up the team to eventually trade Coco Crisp.
April 25, 2008 Bobby Kielty will be out for 4-6 weeks following hand surgery, according to The Boston Globe. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein stated, "He had a bone spur or something on top of his hand that was causing the ligament to snap back and forth."
Our View:Kielty, who is at Triple-A Pawtucket, was considered to be the eventual replacement for Coco Crisp on the Red Sox roster this season, if the team was to deal Crisp. Now that Kielty is out, Crisp is likely to stay put in Boston for a while, which will continue to cut into the playing time of rising star Jacoby Ellsbury.
April 1, 2008 Bobby Kielty is likely to stay with the Red Sox, according to the Boston Globe. He is currently at Triple-A Pawtucket, and he should stay with the team and wait for a call-up rather than change teams. Manager Francona commented,"Bobby’s a good fit here. We hope he stays. He does the right things in the clubhouse and on the field.”
