He was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1982 and went on to play for them (1987–1992 and 2000), the Cincinnati Reds (1993–1994), Atlanta Braves (1994), Montreal Expos (1995), Los Angeles Dodgers (1995), Minnesota Twins (1996–1997), Seattle Mariners (1997) and Texas Rangers (1998–1999).

[citation needed] He broke up Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb's perfect game at SkyDome in 1989 with a two-out double in the ninth inning.

[4] The Braves traded Kelly along with Tony Tarasco and Esteban Yan to the Montreal Expos for Marquis Grissom on April 6, 1995.

[5] The following month, the Expos traded Kelly and Joey Eischen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Henry Rodríguez and Jeff Treadway.

[1] On January 17, 2018, Kelly was announced as the new manager for the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League for the next 3 seasons.