Things may not have gone so well for infielder Buddy Kennedy during his brief time with the Philadelphia Phillies. Having only seen limited action across two seasons with the Phillies, Kennedy was designated for assignment and then subsequently released earlier this season, as he ultimately elected for free agency after clearing waivers.
In doing so, the former Phillies fan favorite may have hit the jackpot, as he ended up joining the AL-leading Toronto Blue Jays organization on a minor-league contract in early July. It didn’t take too long for Kennedy to impress them enough such that his contract was selected, and he was added to the Blue Jays' big league roster on Aug. 5.
Buddy Kennedy goes from contending Phillies to AL-best Blue Jays
Kennedy quickly drew into game action the very next day and became a part of the Blue Jays’ 20-1 shellacking of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Kennedy recorded a walk and one run scored in three at-bats in his debut for Toronto, as he appears to be a part of their solid rotation of players now going forward.
It wasn’t too long ago that Kennedy was a feel-good story for the Phillies. From Millville, NJ, and with previous family ties to the organization, it made him come full circle to be a part of the Phillies in 2024 after coming over from the Detroit Tigers. Kennedy eventually made his debut with Philadelphia as a September call-up that year.
He recorded his first hit and RBI with the club on Sept. 10, hearing his name chanted by Phillies fans during the walk-off win against the Tampa Bay Rays. However, that turned out to be the highlight of his tenure with the team.
This season, he began the year with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs until he finally got the surprise call up to the majors in late June. With the IronPigs, Kennedy batted a solid .283 with an .835 OPS, along with 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, eight home runs and 40 RBIs in just 61 games played.
Despite earning the promotion to the big leagues, he ended up lasting just four total games with the Phillies. During the brief stint, Kennedy went hitless in seven at-bats before ultimately suffering the fate of being designated for assignment by the end of June in favor of Bryce Harper coming off the injured list.
Overall, Kennedy’s moments with the Phillies were few and far in between, as he finished with a dismal .111 average, .405 OPS, along with just two hits, one run scored and two RBIs in 12 total games of action. Hopefully, by getting renewed life and playing time with the Jays, he will finally be able to unlock his full potential and become a solid producer in the MLB going forward.