"Blood that runs through this kid's veins" - Joe Kelly's wife Ashley beams with pride as 8-year-old Knox crushes dad's 99.8 mph pitch in BP

For the better part of a decade, pitcher Joe Kelly has made a name for himself by throwing some heat. Recently, the relief arm's son Knox got a glimpse of the kind of velocity from which his father draws his reputation.

Although Kelly has not pitched since the end of May on account of a shoulder injury, the veteran is ramping up his rehab regime. Recently, he brought along his eight-year-old son, Knox, to get a taste of his heat.

According to an Instagram story by his wife, Ashley, Kelly met up with Knox at a training facility for batting practice. In the post, Ashley claimed that her husband was serving up pitches that touched 100 miles per hour. Although she conceded that she was a bit uneasy about her child getting exposed to such velocity, she also claimed that Joe Kelly likely understood "blood that runs through this kid's veins", and how baseball-obsessed he is.

Ashley Kelly filming her son Knox taking BP from his dad Joe (Instagram.com/ashleynicokelly)

Ashley is the daughter of former Minnesota Twins catcher Derek Parks. She first met Joe Kelly when the pair were both studying at the University of California, Riverside. In addition to Knox, the couple also have a set of twin boys, Blake and Kai, and a daughter Crue.

Drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, Kelly made his debut for the Cards three years later. In his sophomore season of 2013, Kelly had one of the best seasons of his career, going 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 37 appearances.

"Joe Kelly throwing his second bullpen session this week. 25 pitches today" - David Vassegh

After stints on the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox, Kelly returned to the Dodgers last December, signing a one-year, $8 million deal. However, Kelly has only pitched 13 innings this season, as most of his time has been spent on the IL dealing with shoulder issues.

Joe Kelly throwing to his son is a positive sign

Although the veteran may yet be several weeks from returning, there is definitely some life in him. Recently, Jesse Garcia of Fantasy Pros claimed that a Triple-A assignment is likely before Kelly steps back into the Dodgers' lineup:

"This was Kelly’s second bullpen session of the week. He has been out of action since early-May and will likely require a rehab assignment before returning to the Dodgers’ bullpen."

Although he may yet be young, getting Knox to see some real MLB-level pitches is probably the best way to prepare both father and son for what lies ahead.