The Arizona Diamondbacks are feeling the heat of the playoff race, as they enter their Thursday night contest against the Cincinnati Reds standing just a half-game back of their NL Central opponent in the Wild Card race. Thus, every pitch and every plate appearance matters. However, even with the Diamondbacks fresh off an all-important 3-2 win over the Reds, it may have come at the huge cost of one of their best pitchers, Merrill Kelly.

Kelly, on Friday night, pitched a gem, striking out 12 while blanking the Reds across seven innings, allowing just one hit during that span. Alas, Kelly's incredible start did not end on the best of terms, as he had to exit the game at the start of the eighth inning after suffering an apparent injury, per Jesse Friedman, Diamondbacks beat writer for PHNX Sports.

The nature and severity of the injury Merrill Kelly suffered remains unclear at the moment, as the Diamondbacks have yet to issue an update regarding the 34-year old starter's condition. However, even if the situation lacks clarity at the time of writing, Kelly's injury history thus far in 2023 may be a cause for concern. Kelly had to exit his start early vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers over two weeks ago, while he also dealt with a serious blood clot issue in his right calf back in June.

For the Diamondbacks to continue cementing their place as a Wild Card team in the NL, they will badly be in need of Kelly's services. After his dominant start vs. the Reds, Kelly has now tallied a solid ERA of 2.97 to go along with 146 strikeouts in 136.1 innings of work in 2023.