Reliever Joe Kelly’s return to the Los Angeles Dodgers sparked a brief jersey number mystery, but it’s all sorted out now that the Dodgers have signed Shohei Ohtani.
When Kelly re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $8 million deal, fans wondered about his jersey number, which happened to be the same as Ohtani’s when he played for the Angels – number 17. While the financial aspects weren’t an issue, the Dodgers didn’t want any confusion. So, they asked Kelly if he would be willing to change numbers, and he agreed without hesitation.
Now, with Ohtani officially on board, the only remaining question was which number Kelly would choose for the upcoming season. In a lighthearted announcement, Kelly and his wife, Ashley, took to Instagram to reveal the new number. Ashley shared a video where she playfully discarded all of Kelly’s old No. 17 merchandise.
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So, what’s Joe Kelly’s new jersey number for the upcoming season? He’ll be wearing No. 99.
Kelly has had a few different jersey numbers throughout his career. He started with No. 58 when he began his MLB journey with the Cardinals, then switched to No. 56 with the Red Sox. When he initially signed with the Dodgers in 2019, he took on No. 17, which he retained when he joined the White Sox in 2022. After a trade back to the Dodgers in July, he continued to wear No. 17 through the end of the last season.
Now, as he prepares for the upcoming season, Kelly will be only the third player in Dodgers history to wear the iconic No. 99, joining the ranks of Manny Ramírez and Hyun Jin Ryu.