Merrill Kelly gives update on when he could return to the mound [Video]

PHOENIX — Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly will be the first to tell you his shoulder injury recovery is taking longer than expected.

“When I first went down, we all thought it was going to be a shorter process,” Kelly said. “But obviously the imaging showed a little differently than that but take it day to day and so far so good.”

Kelly initially suffered a right shoulder injury, specifically a teres major sprain, back on April 20, which landed him on the 15-day injured list. After further assessment of the injury, the team placed Kelly on the 60-day injured list.

As for the mental aspect of recovering from one of the larger injuries of Kelly’s career, he said it’s a process that requires patience and diligence.

“I think that’s an ongoing process,” Kelly said. “This is the first time I’ve ever really dealt with an injury like …