Infielder staying with the Phillies after clearing waivers following his designation for assignment last week. The team announced that he went unclaimed and, rather than accepting an outright assignment, Kennedy chose free agency—only to quickly re-sign with Philadelphia on a minor league deal. He will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Kennedy joined the Phillies last June in a DFA trade with the Tigers. He made eight big-league appearances, going 2-for-11 with two walks, but performed well in Triple-A, slashing .294/.400/.500 with 10 home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts over 67 games. He remained on the 40-man roster through the offseason but faced a pivotal Spring Training, as he was out of minor league options and needed to either make the team or go through waivers.
The 26-year-old struggled at the plate this spring, hitting just .150 over 22 exhibition games. While he hit three home runs and posted a solid 10:12 walk-to-strikeout ratio, he managed only six hits in 40 at-bats. As a result, the Phillies opted for Edmundo Sosa and Kody Clemens—both also out of options—as their backup infielders.
With no other team willing to add him to their major league roster, Kennedy, who has now been outrighted twice in his career, had the right to elect free agency. He exercised that option but quickly re-signed with Philadelphia, likely on a restructured deal that may include a different minor league salary or opt-out opportunities. The former fifth-round pick now returns to Triple-A, where he owns a career .281/.392/.435 slash line over 300 games.
