What was shaping up to be a promising season for the Arizona Diamondbacks is quickly turning into a nightmare. They have gone 9-26 since June 28, and their free-fall doesn't appear to be approaching its end anytime soon — similar to when Doctor Strange put Loki in that endless pit — as their luck continues to take a turn for the worse, this time with a concerning injury to starting pitcher Merrill Kelly.

On Wednesday night, with a tough matchup on the docket against division rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks turned to Kelly to match up against Bobby Miller. The 34-year old starter certainly pitched well, throwing six innings without allowing any runs. But he had to exit the game early after looking “uncomfortable” pushing off the mound, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

If this is an isolated case, then the Diamondbacks won't have much reason to worry about the well-being of Merrill Kelly. But Kelly has a history of serious injury problems that is in danger of being re-aggravated with this latest knock. As Ardaya pointed out, Kelly missed a month of action (from June 25 to July 24) due to a blood clot in his right calf — a similar injury to the one that caused the premature end of basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh's career.

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Simply put, it's a big deal if Kelly's most recent injury is related to the clotting he experienced not too long ago. It doesn't just concern the Diamondbacks' free-falling season, but the 34-year old starter's career as well, as it's clear from his performance during the 2023 season that he has a lot left in the tank.

In 20 games (118.0 innings pitched), Kelly has put up a 9-5 record for the Diamondbacks, and a healthy 3.05 ERA. He has also struck out 120 batters while allowing just 44 walks, proving to be a quality top of the rotation arm for the team behind ace Zac Gallen.

It may be too premature to make any prognostications regarding the true severity of Merrill Kelly's injury. But in the interim, any sort of absence from the 34-year old will only serve to make an already-difficult stretch for the Diamondbacks an even more trying one.