Ill-timed injury, big spring debut gives Phillies’ underdog early claim on bench spot

Entering spring training for the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the most anticipated position battles to watch was the competition for the final bench spot on the Opening Day roster. The early candidates to land the bench role with the Phillies include Kody Clemens, Weston Wilson and 2024 trade acquisition darkhorse Buddy Kennedy.

Timing couldn’t have been worse for Wilson, supposedly the early favorite, as he unexpectedly became the first casualty in the battle with an injury on Friday. According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the 30-year-old is expected to miss six weeks with a moderate oblique strain. The recovery timeline for his ill-timed injury takes him out of the running for a bench role with the Phillies to start the 2025 season.

Ill-timed injury and big Phillies spring debut gives underdog early claim on bench spot

With that, it has opened the door for both Clemens and Kennedy, with the latter making the most of his opportunity right from the get-go in his spring training debut. On Saturday in the Phillies’ first preseason game against the Detroit Tigers, Kennedy launched a huge two-run homer in the fifth inning to put them up 5-0 at the time. He finished the day 1-for-2 with one run scored, one walk and one strikeout as Philadelphia ultimately fell 7-6 to the Tigers.

Kennedy was likely considered the underdog to land a bench spot among the trio heading into training camp. Both Clemens and Wilson have had their moments in their previous big league stints with the Phillies. Clemens stepped in and played solidly at the start of the 2023 season when Bryce Harper was working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Clemens also put up some big hits down the stretch for Philadelphia in 2024 as well. As for Wilson, let’s just say he made a big impression by becoming the ninth Phillies player in franchise history to hit for the cycle last August.

In terms of Kennedy, he only managed to suit up for eight games with the Phillies in 2024, going 2-for-11 with two RBI in 13 plate appearances in primarily a reserve role down the stretch. Nevertheless, his strong showing with their Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley in which he batted .294 with a .900 OPS, along with 44 runs scored, 19 doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI in just 67 games was enough for Philadelphia to give him a longer look this time around. 

With the early injury to Wilson, along with Kennedy being a right-handed hitter in a left-handed heavy Phillies lineup, the odds have suddenly improved for Kennedy to make the team out of training camp. Moreover, with Kennedy delivering the first punch right off the bat in round one, it will be up to Clemens now to see how he responds when he makes his own spring debut. Nevertheless, this one day belonged to Kennedy as he put an exclamation point in his early claim for the final bench spot.