A lot of excitement has been building up about the Philadelphia Phillies' farm system. They had the likes of Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller and Andrew Painter waiting in Lehigh Valley, but it was infielder Otto Kemp that got his first taste of the big leagues. Kemp had an up-and-down season in 2025, but it appears injuries plagued him for the majority of his rookie campaign.
Playing your first season in MLB is hard enough, and then there's the possibility of injury to throw a wrench in everything. Kemp was officially called up on June 7 and went on to play in 62 games. He hit .234/.298/.411 and accrued eight home runs and 28 RBIs. He had a great start to his career, but injuries plagued him down the stretch on top of trying to find a groove with the organization.
Phillies have yet to see the best of Otto Kemp thanks to surprising injury news
According to Jeff Kerr of CBS News, Kemp fractured his left kneecap on a foul ball in mid-June. He didn't miss any time and continued to play through it the rest of the season and even in his postseason appearance. Few players could do such a thing, and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski took notice of his toughness.
“He is a tough player. He is tough,” Dombrowski said of Kemp in his year-end press conference, per Kerr. “I'm not sure that a lot of players, a lot of people, period, played with some of the things that he had. And I'm sure it affected him to some extent.”
On top of the kneecap preventing him from playing at his full potential, Kemp was also experiencing pain in his shoulder. He will undergo a procedure to clean it up this offseason. Kemp was dealing with a lot, and it explains why the Phillies are still so high on him going into 2026.
OTTO KEMP'S FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/xqbqnbbTKT
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 28, 2025
Kemp battled through his adversity, and after he got called up a second time on Sept. 8, he hit .250 with an .856 OPS and hit four home runs while driving in 11 runs in 16 games.
“I think Otto Kemp has a chance to be an everyday player,” Dombrowski said. “He has a chance to be an everyday player next year. He has thump in his bat. That ball jumps off his bat. We really like him, we like his makeup. He can play a couple different spots, as we have seen.”
Kemp was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2022. He's worked his way up the Phillies organization after sporting an .847 OPS across his minor league career. When he came up, he delivered, filling in for injuries and playing anywhere on the diamond. A lot was thrown at Kemp in his rookie season, but the Phillies along with their fans can't wait to see him play a bigger part in the team's future.