For a struggling professional ballplayer looking to find his footing in the major leagues, sometimes good things can actually happen when you happen to be in the right place at the right time. That was exactly the case for former Philadelphia Phillies fan favorite Buddy Kennedy in his adventures during the 2025 season.
Now, after securing his first World Series ring last season, Kennedy has found a new home for 2026 with the San Francisco Giants on a minor league deal.
But what really stood out prior to securing the deal was what the former Phillies infielder went through during his 2025 campaign. Beginning the year with Philadelphia in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Kennedy impressed by compiling a .283 average and .835 OPS, with 35 runs scored, eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 61 games.
He finally earned a call-up to the big league club in late June but surprisingly saw only four games of action. The Phillies designated him for assignment and ultimately released him from the organization.
After an eventful 2025, former Phillies fan favorite Buddy Kennedy has signed with the Giants
From there, the Toronto Blue Jays picked up Kennedy on a minor league contract and gave him the opportunity with the big boys following the trade deadline. However, similar to his fate earlier with the Phillies, he appeared in just two games for the Blue Jays before being designated for assignment.
This time, the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Kennedy off waivers from Toronto and ended up providing him with the most MLB game action of all three teams by giving him a seven-game run. However, he was again designated for assignment just 10 days later and rejoined the Jays on another minor league contract after electing free agency to finish off the season.
But by just appearing in just those seven games with the Dodgers where he recorded one hit and one run scored in 18 plate appearances, Kennedy had the luxury to take home an elusive World Series ring with Los Angeles capturing the 2025 title. More notably, the moment it was determined that the Blue Jays were facing the Dodgers in the World Series, Kennedy was all but guaranteed a championship ring as a result of spending time with both organizations.
The Giants likely wanted some of that postseason luck to rub off on them by securing his services for the 2026 season, as every team that he played for in 2025 all ended up in the MLB Playoffs. With his ability to play multiple positions in the infield, Kennedy could challenge for a bench utility role with San Francisco this season. The former Phillies infielder hopes to get the opportunity finally to establish a serviceable career in the majors as he enters his age-27 season.