For now, Buddy Kennedy is living the dream. As a kid and baseball fan growing up in South Jersey, he loved getting the chance to see the Phillie Phanatic, so it meant a bit extra as he and other Phillies players joined the iconic mascot for a visit to St. Mary Interparochial School in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
“That was pretty special,” Kennedy said, “because I was one of them kids when the Phillies came in or the Phanatic came to town. It’s the coolest thing ever.”
The 2017 Millville High School graduate has been soaking up his time with his hometown team since he was traded to the Phillies organization this past June. But the second baseman also knows he might not be long for red pinstripes. Kennedy will enter the 2025 season as a member of Philadelphia’s 40-man roster with no minor-league options remaining. The Phillies have a crowded major-league infield, and they wouldn’t be able to option Kennedy to Triple-A for the start of the regular season without exposing him to waivers.
It’s sort of a tough pill to swallow for someone who’s happy to be where he is, but it’s the reality for a player on the fringes of a roster like Kennedy. He’ll need to prepare for spring training knowing that he could be on the move by the end of camp.
“Obviously, I’m out of options,” he said. “I know that, the Phillies front office knows that, everybody knows that. All I can control is me coming in ready, having great at bats, playing good defense, being a trustworthy guy. Now, obviously, I would love to play the rest of my career in Philly — obviously.
“But I’ve been on the crappier side of the business of baseball before in my career, so I know anything that they throw at me is nothing I haven’t seen before.”
In addition to Kennedy, the Phillies brought starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, reliever Orion Kerkering and utility players Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson back to Philly to participate in their annual Winter Tour. The charity and community events happen just a month before the team reports to Clearwater, Fla.
Like Kennedy this year, Wilson and Clemens have been up and down between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia since they were acquired by the Phillies before the 2023 season. Clemens, who came over in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, has filled in at first base, had some clutch moments and brought some pop in limited spurts in the majors. However, he hasn’t quite hit enough in the big leagues to fully stick with the Phillies on their heavily left-handed-hitting roster, and his minor-league options meant that the club could send him back down in years past and still keep him around for later.
Philadelphia no longer has that luxury as Clemens is now out of options, and it’s fair to wonder if the team could trade him before the end of spring. Regardless, he’ll approach camp with the same mindset he’s kept throughout his Phillies tenure.
“I go to every spring training thinking the same thing,” Clemens said. “Just keep my head down and work hard and get prepared for the season, whatever that entails. Just gonna go down to spring and do what I was doing, try and just stay level-headed and try to make the team, however that looks. And we’ll see what happens.”
Wilson, a right-handed hitter who signed with the Phillies on a minor-league contract in 2023, does have a minor-league option remaining, but may still have a clearer path to a major-league roster spot than Kennedy or Clemens even though he can be optioned. He’s found success against lefties in his 49 games over two years with Philadelphia, launched a home run in his first plate appearance in 2023 and hit for the cycle this past season. Wilson started the Phillies’ final game of 2024 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series as they were eliminated by the New York Mets.
With two lefty-hitting outfielders set as starters in Brandon Marsh and newcomer Max Kepler, Wilson would make sense as a righty to spell them in left field at times. He can also play the infield in place of someone like Bryson Stott once in a while. The Phillies have brought in veteran players like Josh Harrison and Whit Merrifield in recent years to serve in this reserve role, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has indicated that he’ll likely avoid doing that this year. This could give Wilson an inside track to that spot if he continues to impress in Clearwater.
“I’ll come into camp, play my hardest, try to win a job,” he said. “Not looking too much into it. Things can change, but I’m just going to go out there and play hard. Obviously, making the Opening Day roster is the goal, but whatever I can do to help this team win.”
There’s still plenty of time before the Phillies head to Washington for their 2025 opener on March 27, so there’s no need to definitively rule anyone out of the running. Injuries can happen, roster moves can be made and surprise internal candidates can emerge. But these players know how things stand and how the roster churn operates, and they’re getting ready to put their best foot forward ahead of the season.
“If I can be the best ballplayer I can and it doesn’t work out, that’s all right,” Kennedy said. “Hopefully, if I intrigue another team, that would be great, too. Overall, just (want to) have fun, enjoy it with all these guys, because it’s a special team and a special clubhouse.”
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