CHICAGO — Even when the Phillies put Kody Clemens on the opening-day roster, they knew the fit wasn’t good.
And it lasted for all of one month.
Clemens got traded Saturday to the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations, the Phillies announced. The move came five days after they designated him for assignment to open a roster spot for fellow utilityman Weston Wilson to come off the injured list.
The Phillies have five left-handed hitters in the everyday lineup. Clemens bats left-handed. Playing time would be hard to find even though he plays multiple infield positions and dabbles in left field. Sure enough, Clemens got only one at-bat through the season’s first 14 games.
Wilson provides similar versatility while batting from the right side. He entered spring training with a better chance than Clemens to make the team but strained an oblique muscle in his left side early in camp.
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The Phillies acquired Clemens and hard-throwing lefty reliever Gregory Soto from the Tigers in a January 2023 trade for outfielder Matt Vierling, utilityman Nick Maton, and minor league catcher Donnie Sands. They dealt Soto to the Orioles at the trade deadline last July.
Clemens, 28, had a few moments with the Phillies. He hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning last May 18 against Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan and a bases-loaded single to walk off the Rays last Sept. 9. He also crashed into the left-field wall to rob a potential game-tying hit and end the final regular-season game last year in Washington.
But Clemens got only 275 plate appearances in 97 games for the Phillies and batted .220 with nine homers and a .659 OPS. He figures to get more opportunities with the Twins, who lost rookie infielder Luke Keaschall to a fractured right forearm Friday night.
