Veteran infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp had a July 1 opt-out date in his minor league deal and exercised it. He has been released and is now a free agent. The news was reported on X by Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune and Darren Wolfson of SKOR North.
Kemp, 32, spent the previous four seasons with the Athletics but has been a nomad this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in February but didn’t make that club’s Opening Day roster, allowing him to opt out and land on the major league roster of the Orioles. But he struggles in just five games with the O’s before being cut loose, which led to his minor league deal with the Twins.
In 46 games with Triple-A St. Paul, Kemp has stepped to the plate 187 times and has been in decent form. He has drawn walks 9.6% of the time while limiting strikeouts to a 12.8% clip. He currently sports a line of .279/.358/.436, which translates to a wRC+ of 106. He’s been especially locked in lately, having hit .346/.388/.539 in 20 games in the month of June. He had another opt-out a month ago but skipped that one before going on his recent hot streak.
Kemp has mostly played second base and left field in his career, but there’s not a ton of room for the Twins to fit him in. Willi Castro has been getting most of the playing time at the keystone and is having a great year. Trevor Larnach is playing well in left while Austin Martin has solid numbers backing up both spots. They also have Kyle Farmer around as a glove-first infielder the bench while Edouard Julien and Yunior Severino are infielders on optional assignment with Matt Wallner alongside them for corner outfield depth. Shortstop prospect Brooks Lee is also crushing the ball in Triple-A but may end up moved to second or third base in deference to Carlos Correa. Meanwhile, Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda have been sharing third base and the designated hitter slot lately, both hitting well.
With that crowded position player mix, Kemp couldn’t get a roster spot but will try elsewhere. He’ll be able to pitch himself to the 30 clubs with his strong run of play this year as well as his track record. He slashed .252/.341/.361 with the A’s from 2020 to 2022, production that translates to a 105 wRC+. He also stole 22 bases while moving between the infield and outfield as needed. Unfortunately, his line dipped to .209/.303/.304 in 2023, which has left him scrambling to find a regular gig this year.
He’ll head out to the open market to see what kind of opportunities await him. Even if he can’t immediately secure a major league gig, he could perhaps find minor league offers from clubs with better paths to playing time than he had with the Twins. Furthermore, roster shakeup around the league is inevitable in the weeks to come with the trade deadline coming up on July 30.