Mitch Keller leaves game against Detroit Tigers after taking comebacker off right leg

BRADENTON, Fla. — Mitch Keller’s first start of spring training ended early, as the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander left in the top of the second inning after a comebacker ricocheted off his left leg.

After Detroit Tigers left fielder Daz Cameron lined a shot off Keller’s thigh with two outs in the second in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park, Pirates trainers attended to the pitcher and he walked off the mound on his own. The Pirates later announced that Keller was removed from the game as a precaution.

Lefty Cam Vieaux replaced Keller.

Keller’s first appearance in the Grapefruit League was highly anticipated, given that he had increased the velocity on his four-seam fastball to where he was touching triple digits in the offseason.

Mitch Keller's fastballs in the first inning:
96.2
96.2
97.9
96.7
96.8
98.2
96.8

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) March 19, 2022

His first two pitches were clocked at 96 mph, with the second a pop-fly in foul territory to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. Keller gave up a single to Riley Greene, who reached second on a wild pitch but was thrown out at third on a grounder to short by Javier Baez. Keller got Jonathan Schoop to ground into a forceout at second, throwing seven of his 11 pitches for strikes.

Keller started the second inning by striking out Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect, and getting third baseman Isaac Paredes to ground out to short.

Of his 22 pitches, Keller threw 15 strikes as he lasted 1 2/3 innings and allowed two hits, including the one that hit his leg for a single, and had one strikeout.