STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | August 1, 2026 — Former Frisco RoughRiders left-hander Antoine Kelly reached the major leagues Friday night, making his MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs against the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field.
Kelly became the 11th former RoughRider in 2026 to earn a place on Frisco’s Road to the Show wall, driven by Avondale Dealerships, continuing what has been a productive season for player development connected to the franchise.
The 26-year-old delivered an impressive first appearance on the biggest stage. Kelly worked 1.1 scoreless innings without allowing a hit and recorded his first major league strikeout against Spencer Jones.
For Kelly, the debut capped a long climb through professional baseball that included time with five different organizations and nearly 200 minor league appearances.
The Chicago native began the 2026 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization before being traded to the Cubs for cash considerations in June. Following the move, Kelly quickly established himself as a reliable option in the Iowa Cubs bullpen.
In 13 appearances for Triple-A Iowa, the left-hander posted a 2.79 ERA before receiving the call to Chicago.
Kelly’s journey to the majors has been defined by persistence and adaptability. Between stints in the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Dodgers and Cubs systems, he appeared in 192 minor league games before finally reaching the majors.
His time with Frisco played a significant role in that path.
Kelly spent parts of three seasons with the RoughRiders and developed into one of the organization’s most dependable bullpen arms. Across 51 appearances with Frisco, he recorded a 3.45 ERA over 70.1 innings while converting all 11 of his save opportunities.
That consistency reached another level during the 2023 season, when Kelly earned Texas League Postseason All-Star honors.
Originally selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Wabash Valley Community College, Kelly entered professional baseball as a highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect. His career later included movement across several organizations, but his ability to miss bats and handle high-leverage situations kept him in position for an eventual major league opportunity.
That opportunity arrived Friday in familiar surroundings.
A native of Chicago, Kelly made his debut at Wrigley Field, giving the moment an added layer of significance. His scoreless performance also provided an immediate positive contribution for a Cubs bullpen that had called on him following his successful stretch in Triple-A.
Kelly’s promotion adds another name to an expanding list of former RoughRiders reaching the majors this season.
He joins Geraldo Carrillo, Kohl Drake, Emiliano Teodo, Gavin Collyer, Peyton Gray, Robbie Ahlstrom, Mitch Bratt, Cam Cauley, Winston Santos and Abimelec Ortiz as former Frisco players to make their MLB debuts in 2026.
With Kelly’s arrival, 236 players in RoughRiders franchise history have now advanced to the major leagues.
The milestone further reinforces Frisco’s place in the Texas League as a key stop on the developmental path to the majors. For Kelly, it represents the reward for years of work across multiple organizations, capped by a scoreless debut in his hometown and the realization of a long-awaited major league goal.
