The 2025 season has been quite the tour for former Detroit Tigers infielder Buddy Kennedy. Beginning the year with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kennedy has bounced around to three different teams this season as a veteran who has run out of minor league options and perhaps opportunities to stick at the major league level.
For a player with a career .178/.271/.274 batter’s line, only the most desperate teams would be looking to add Kennedy down the stretch. But the Toronto Blue Jays have fit the bill, and their need for another infielder has them bringing in Kennedy for the second time this season.
Buddy Kennedy’s Second Tour in Toronto Shows Blue Jays Desperation Down the Stretch
The Blue Jays inked Kennedy to a minor league deal on Monday and if you’re having deja vu, it’s because the same scenario played out earlier this season.
Kennedy, who appeared in six games for the Tigers during the 2024 season before being traded to Philadelphia, signed with Toronto shortly after being designated for assignment by the Phillies on June 30. The 26-year-old appeared in two games with the Blue Jays, going 1-for-5 at the plate with a double, a walk and a strikeout before being designated for assignment again and was claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 15.
Kennedy’s time with the Dodgers was also short-lived, going 1-for-17 at the plate with an RBI and five strikeouts in seven games before he was DFA’d for the fourth time this season and it looked like he didn’t have many opportunities until the Blue Jays came calling again.
Toronto is in great shape for a playoff berth, leading the American League East with an 81-59 record and a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox entering Thursday’s action. But one of their biggest needs has been depth in the infield. Toronto pounced to add utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa shortly after he was placed on outright waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 29, but they also know another injury could leave them in a tough spot as they head toward the postseason.
This makes Kennedy a puzzling decision. His career numbers are bad, but they get even worse this season with a combined 2-for-29 performance at the plate, including eight strikeouts and two walks in 13 games. Things have been a little better at Triple-A, where Kennedy has hit .271/.374/.410 with eight homers, 45 RBI, and three stolen bases in four attempts, but that hasn’t translated to the major league level.
Maybe the Blue Jays are the team that hopes that Kennedy will figure it out with them and turn into legitimate major league depth. But they already tried that and it failed miserably. At this point, Kennedy may be nothing more than a “Quad-A” player, and any team that tries to pick him up may be desperate to capture lightning in a bottle.