comeback kid

Bobby Kielty’s comeback has gone well. The former Ole Miss standout, who was out of baseball for basically two years, has put up some decent numbers as a 35-year-old part-timer with San Diego’s Triple-A Tucson club. Kielty is batting .297 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. He has also pitched in three games, with a 6.75 ERA to show for it. Where this comeback might lead isn’t clear. Kielty’s really not a kid anymore, and he has a surgically repaired knee from 2009. It’s hard to imagine him getting another major league shot. But he did have his day. The switch-hitter known for his unkempt red hair played in 599 big league games and batted .254 with 53 bombs. His last major league appearance came in the 2007 World Series, when he hit a pinch homer for Boston during its sweep of Colorado. Kielty played in the minors in 2008 and again at the start of ’09 before the knee injury shut him down. While flipping houses as a real estate broker in Riverside, Calif., he decided to try his hand — or arm — at pitching. He was working out at the local junior college last year when he got an offer to play again, as an outfielder, in the Puerto Rican Winter League. There he caught the eye of some big league clubs, and San Diego signed him. Alas, the Tucson season will be over soon. It’ll be interesting to see if Kielty’s comeback ends then, as well.