The Phillies announced this morning that they have designated infielder for assignment. Earlier in the week, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated that the infielder who is out of minor league options, would not make the team’s Opening Day roster. Dombrowski had already been exploring potential trades for him, and today’s DFA doesn’t alter that plan. The Phillies can still trade him over the next five days, but if no deal is reached by then, Kennedy will be placed on outright waivers, making him available to the other 29 teams.
Buddy Kennedy, 26, has appeared in 54 major league games over the past three seasons, playing for the D-backs, Tigers, and Phillies. In 149 MLB plate appearances, he has posted a .203/.295/.313 batting line. Despite his limited opportunities at the big-league level, Kennedy has excelled in Triple-A, where he has compiled a .281/.392/.435 slash line over parts of three seasons. He has an impressive 14.4% walk rate and a manageable 18.2% strikeout rate, well below the league average.
A fifth-round pick from Millville High School — the same school that produced Mike Trout — Kennedy is a versatile right-handed hitter with experience at all four infield positions and left field. Most of his defensive innings have come at third base (3470 innings) and second base (1285 innings), but he has also logged time at first base (110 innings), left field (93 innings), and shortstop (10 innings). He showed no platoon splits at the plate in 2024 and has consistently hit well against both lefties and righties over the past three seasons, particularly in 2023 and 2024.