Tony Kemp #12 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on against the Kansas City Royals on April 2, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on April 16 that the Minnesota Twins signed utility player Tony Kemp to a minor league contract.
Kemp, 32, was born in Franklin, Tenn., and played in nine seasons in Major League Baseball: with the Houston Astros from 2016 to 19, the Chicago Cubs in 2019, the Oakland Athletics from 2020 to 23, and the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
The left-handed hitter won a World Series with the Astros in 2017, even though he did not play in any postseason game and was on the 40-man roster.
He elected free agency with the Orioles on April 13 before signing with the Twins.
Kemp played in five games with Baltimore and did not record a hit in 10 plate appearances. He walked once and struck out before being designated for assignment on April 10.
Kemp played in five games at second base and had two starts to start 2024 with Baltimore. In 19 innings at second base, he had eight chances, three putouts, and five assists.
Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com said, “Kemp went unclaimed on waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency.”
Kemp signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on February 24 and was invited to big league camp.
He played in eight games with the Reds during spring training and batted .333 in 23 plate appearances, smacking seven hits, one double, one triple, one home run, two walks, and four strikeouts before being released on March 19.
Last season with the Athletics, Kemp played in 124 games. In 419 plate appearances, he batted .209 with 75 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 27 RBI, swiping 15 bases, 44 walks, 40 strikeouts, and a .607 OPS before he elected free agency on November 2, 2023.