No longer buried on Phillies bench, Kody Clemens returns to Philly to close out ‘roller-coaster’ season

PHILADELPHIA — By the time Friday night’s game ends, there’s a good chance Kody Clemens will have more plate appearances at Citizens Bank Park in one game than he did during the first month of the season while with the Phillies.

The left-handed hitter and utility man, now with the Minnesota Twins, is back in Philadelphia for a three-game weekend series to close out the regular season. And after getting only three chances to hit at home with the Phillies to begin the season, he’s starting the opener at second base and batting second against his old team and right-hander Aaron Nola.

Clemens described this season as “a roller-coaster.” He started the year in the big leagues with the Phillies, but he got only seven plate appearances in nearly a full month with the team. Clemens did not start a single time during Philadelphia’s first 25 games as the club boasted plenty of established left-handed hitters. He was finally designated for assignment on April 23 and traded to the Twins for cash three days later.

“Obviously, just didn’t fit with the roster,” Clemens said. “I mean, it was a blessing. It was probably the best thing that could ever happen for my career.”

Since heading to Minnesota, Clemens has had plenty of chances to play. He’s shown off some pop while playing first base, second base and in the outfield. Clemens has hit 19 home runs with a slash line of .214/.285/.438 in 116 total games.

“I definitely knew what I was capable of doing,” Clemens said. “It was just a matter of trying to find the opportunity, to get the opportunity to try and do it. I think that’s probably one of the hardest things: to be given the chance to get an opportunity in the big leagues.”

Traded to the Phillies organization from the Tigers before the 2023 season, Clemens spent parts of three years bouncing up and down between Triple-A and Philadelphia. He had minor-league options in 2023 and 2024, and he came up to the majors when the Phillies needed someone to fill in or provide some power off the bench. Without an option remaining in 2025, the team kept him on the big-league roster but buried him on the depth chart until the righty-hitting Weston Wilson returned from injury.

“It was frustrating for him here, because he wasn’t getting a whole lot of playing time,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “But he never said a word. He just went about his business.”

Clemens wasn’t one to make a fuss. He liked his teammates, he enjoyed playing in front of packed South Philadelphia crowds and he welcomed the idea of being on a successful team. “I care about winning, whether I was sitting my ass on the bench or not,” he said. “That’s just how I felt.”

But Clemens also wanted to play, and he could tell even back in spring training that it would be an uphill battle. He looked around and saw lefty batters at most of the positions he could play: Bryce Harper at first base, Bryson Stott at second base, Kyle Schwarber as the designated hitter and Max Kepler in left field. Alec Bohm was a right-handed hitter, but he was a regular at third base. There were no openings for Clemens, and he knew it.

“I wasn’t dumb to the aspect that I didn’t fit in the roster construction, just because I was a left-handed-hitting bat or whatever,” Clemens said. “I think it’s just more so like the communication through organizations, where there are certain people that you can talk to that will give you the God-honest truth and then there’s other people that will beat around the bush and not want to give you the news that you expect coming.”

So were the Phillies upfront about his chances to secure playing time, or did they, in his words, beat around the bush? Clemens did not give a straight answer.

“I knew it deep down to my core — I was trying to do it myself, trying to figure out where I was going to crack the roster, to make the Opening Day roster,” Clemens said. “Plus, obviously, I know the business of how it works when you’re out of options and when you have options. It happened to (Garrett Stubbs, who spent most of the season at Triple-A) this year. So it just depends on what people in the organization want to give you.

“For me, I just wanted the right state of mind. In spring training, I knew I wasn’t gonna fit. All right. In my head I was like, ‘Are you guys going to give me the opportunity to go elsewhere?’ Obviously, I think when Weston got hurt and then there was a spot open, they ended up just keeping me, even though I wasn’t going to play anyway.”

Eventually, the Phillies got Wilson, a better-fitting piece, back, and they found a more ideal spot for Clemens. Clemens made sure to note that there’s no bad blood with the Phillies and that he has “great relationships” with individuals throughout the organization. (Stubbs was spotted wearing a shirt with Clemens pictured on it before Friday’s game.)

Additionally, Thomson expressed his pleasure with the fact that his former player has found a role for himself in Minnesota.

“I love him,” Thomson said. “He’s had a really good year. He’s had an opportunity to play, and he’s made the most of it. Kody, he’s a pro. He’s a really good guy, really good team guy.”

Clemens may not be a star, or even an everyday player for a championship-caliber team. But he has more ability than he was able to show this year with the Phillies. It seems to have worked out for everyone involved.

“I never got the opportunity to play every day,” Clemens said, “so I’m just glad that the Twins organization gave me the chance to go out there and try and show what I have.”