Righty Joe Kelly will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 MLB season.

Joe Kelly said staying close to his family was the main reason for his return to Chavez Ravine next season, per Dodger Talk host David Vassegh (via AM 570 LA Sports).

“No, there wasn't really any doubt. Like, I pretty much, you know, wanted to play for the Dodgers. I don't really want to go anywhere away from my home anymore. You know, obviously, with the kids they got me slaving over here, being buddy, the lights,” Joe Kelly said on Monday.

“So it's one of the things where my son is old enough now where, you know, he wants to stay in one school play on one team, hang out with the same friends. And, you know, I pretty much put it up to them,” Kelly told Vassegh.

“You know, whenever you want dad to retire, let me know. And, you know, for the rest of my career are probably going to sign one-year deals and try to be a Dodger for the rest of my career,” the Dodgers rightly concluded.

Joe Kelly returns to the Dodgers in 2024

News of Joe Kelly nearing a contract extension with the Dodgers broke out in early December. He eventually reached an agreement with Los Angeles on a one-year deal worth $8 million on Monday. Kelly gets his wish to stay close to his family in Southern California.

Joe Kelly's second tour of duty with the Dodgers continues. He first played for Los Angeles from 2019 to 2021 and earned a World Series ring at the end of the 2020 MLB season.

The Dodgers traded him to the Chicago White Sox in 2022 before re-acquiring him last season. Kelly responded with a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings of work for Dave Roberts in 2023.

Joe Kelly now re-joins a loaded Dodgers team that features generational talent Shohei Ohtani in 2024.