Kody Clemens found his power stroke down on the farm this past weekend, doing serious damage at the plate for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The left-handed hitter homered in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday for the IronPigs as they picked up consecutive wins in Toledo. He went 1-for-3 with the home run and a hit by pitch on Saturday before going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and a walk on Sunday.
It was a strong performance for the recently demoted Clemens, looking to make his way back to the majors after a stint as the Phillies regular first baseman. The 27-year-old, coming to Philadelphia from the Tigers along with Gregory Soto in a trade before the year, batted .333 in May as he earned a steady spot in the lineup. But after an ice-cold June in which he batted .194, the Phillies sent Clemens to Triple-A on July 2 in favor of Darick Hall. (Hall has since been demoted back to Lehigh Valley as Bryce Harper has started to play first base; Jake Cave has been promoted to the majors from Lehigh Valley.)
Clemens has done his part in the 11 games since he was sent down, slashing .286/.375/.476/.851 with two home runs and two doubles. He’s seen time at first base, left field, second base and third base this season in Lehigh Valley. A versatile and capable defender, Clemens will have to continue to prove himself as a solid hitter in order to get another shot with the Phillies.
So far, he’s done that at the plate. But with Harper now playing first and Josh Harrison back healthy as a utility man, there doesn’t appear to be a role available for Clemens in the bigs. Still, it’ll come down to how Clemens plays.
The Phillies will almost certainly need additional position-player depth at some point this season, and Clemens can put himself in a good position to be the first in line with the IronPigs. He’ll need to continue at this pace offensively in order to get a shot. Clemens has already made contributions in Philadelphia, and his play in the minors can help determine if he’ll contribute again this year.
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