Phillies' Scott Kingery: Plays off bench Friday and Saturday
Rotowire
Kingery (illness) went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a strikeout while seeing action at shortstop and second base in Grapefruit League games Friday and Saturday.
Kingery hadn't played in any spring games for about a week due to an illness before returning to action Friday. Though he's seemingly healthy again, Kingery is likely to be reassigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before camp comes to a close.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Out with illness Sunday
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Kingery was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta due to an illness, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Kingery had been slated to start at shortstop and bat eighth, but he became the latest victim of the bug that has been making its way around the Phillies clubhouse. Though Kingery is attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, he's considered a longshot to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster and is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Team declines option
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The Phillies declined Kingery's $13 million club option for 2024 on Friday.
Kingery hasn't registered a major-league plate appearance since 2021, so the decision to pass on his option was fairly predictable. However, rather than becoming a free agent, Kingery's contract will revert back to the minor-league deal he signed in 2015, and he will remain within the Phillies' farm system. The 29-year-old infielder slashed .244/.325/.399 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2023.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Misses out on Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Phillies reassigned Kingery to minor-league camp Monday.
After being outrighted off the Phillies' 40-man roster last June and finishing with a modest .718 OPS in 95 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Kingery surprisingly re-emerged as a serious contender for an Opening Day bench role for Philadelphia this spring. Over 53 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play, Kingery slashed .340/.415/.447 with a home run and two stolen bases while showing glimpses of the player Philadelphia hoped he would become after signing him to a six-year, $24 million contract in March 2018. Kingery is entering the final season of that deal and could end up resurfacing with the big club at some point in 2023, but because he's not on the 40-man roster, he'll first have to continue his hot hitting ways at Lehigh Valley before mounting momentum for a call-up.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Making push for bench spot
Rotowire
Kingery has looked much better this spring and could earn a bench spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The six-year, $24 million deal Kingery signed prior to his debut in 2018 hasn't gone anywhere close to how either the player or team hoped. In 325 career MLB games, he's hit .229/.280/.387. Over the last three years, he's come to the plate just 143 times at the big-league level and hit an even worse .144/.204/.250. A battle with COVID-19 and persistent shoulder issues (which required surgery in July of 2021) can be blamed for at least some of those struggles, but he's feeling healthy now and is back to his original swing after a failed attempt to increase his launch angle. Kingery's last several seasons make it hard to have much faith in him, but he owns a 1.161 OPS through nine spring games. Kingery isn't on the 40-man roster, but he could still earn a spot as a right-handed backup center fielder behind Brandon Marsh.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kingery was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.
Kingery's contract was selected Tuesday, but his role was more or less just to serve as a warm body. His lone appearance saw him play a single inning as a defensive replacement in a 10-0 blowout. Since the start of the 2020 season, he's hit just .144/.204/.250 in 52 major-league games, and his .183/.303/.294 line in 39 Triple-A contests isn't much better. Between those recent numbers and the fact that he's owed $14 million through the end of next season, he's a virtual lock to pass through waivers unclaimed.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Contract selected by Philadelphia
Rotowire
Kingery's contract was selected by the Phillies on Tuesday.
Kingery missed the start of the regular season due to a shoulder injury, and he reported to Triple-A Lehigh Valley once he returned to full health. He hit .185 with a homer, eight runs, six RBI and two steals over 16 games with the Triple-A club but will join the major-league roster after Johan Camargo (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Kingery should serve as a utility man during his time in the majors.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Debuts at Triple-A
Rotowire
Kingery (shoulder) has gone 3-for-18 with a triple, three runs, two RBI and a stolen base in four games since debuting with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.
Kingery was sidelined for the first five weeks of the season while recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent last July. The Phillies outrighted Kingery off the 40-man roster last summer, but he'll still be paid the money owed to him on the six-year, $24 million contract he signed with the big club in March 2018.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Kingery (shoulder) was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Injuries and underperformance have been the story of Kingery's career ever since he signed an extension prior to his major-league debut back in 2018. He owns a career .229/.280/.387 slash line and has only received 143 MLB plate appearances across the last two seasons. The 27-year-old is due to make $6 million this season but isn't on the 40-man roster and doesn't appear to be part of the team's plans. He's still recovering from shoulder surgery, a procedure he underwent back in July, so he didn't get the chance to make an underdog bid for a roster spot as he's not yet ready for game action.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Invited to major-league camp
Rotowire
Kingery (shoulder) was invited to the Phillies' major-league spring training Saturday.
Kingery was outrighted off the Phillies' 40-man roster in June of 2021, and he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in mid-July. While the team was hopeful that the 27-year-old would be healthy for the start of the spring training, it's not yet clear whether he'll face any limitations to begin camp. If Kingery is fully healthy, he'll compete for an Opening Day roster spot after battling injuries across the last few seasons.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Undergoes season-ending surgery
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The Phillies announced Sunday that Kingery will miss the remainder of the season after recently undergoing surgery to repair a labrum injury in his right shoulder, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports. He'll miss the remainder of the season.
Philadelphia is hopeful that Kingery will be healthy for the start of spring training in 2022. He appeared in 15 games for the Phillies in 2021, recording just one hit and striking out 12 times in 19 at-bats. The 27-year-old hasn't enjoyed a competent MLB season since 2019, when he played 126 games and hit .258 with 19 home runs and 55 RBI.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Outrighted off 40-man roster
Rotowire
Kingery (concussion) cleared waivers Monday and was outrighted off the Phillies' 40-man roster, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Kingery has fallen far from the heights which saw him sign an extension prior to even making his big-league debut back in 2018. He's been an above-average hitter in just one of his four big-league seasons, and he barely fit into that category in that year (2019), posting a 101 wRC+. Over the last two seasons, he's hit a miserable .144/.204/.250 in 143 plate appearances. Given those numbers, it's no surprise that no other team wanted to take on his guaranteed money in hopes that they could fix him. He'll remain with Triple-A Lehigh Valley for now but needs plenty of work at that level before earning his next major-league opportunity.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: In midst of rehab assignment
Rotowire
Kingery (concussion) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 1 and has played in five games for the affiliate, going 4-for-19 with 10 strikeouts.
Kingery has moved past the concussion and has likely regained full conditioning at this point after missing about two weeks with the head injury, but Philadelphia presumably isn't in any rush to activate him. The Phillies are seemingly satisfied with how Brad Miller and Ronald Torreyes have performed as their primary utility infielders, so there might not be room for Kingery on the 26-man active roster once he's formally reinstated.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Leaves game with dizziness
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Kingery left Sunday's game against the Blue Jays due to dizziness, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Kingery went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays, and he was replaced in right field in the bottom of the sixth inning. It's not yet clear whether the issue will impact Kingery's availability for Tuesday's series opener against Miami.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Back up with big club
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The Phillies recalled Kingery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.
Kingery and Mickey Moniak will move up from the minors to provide a couple of healthy bodies after Matt Joyce (calf) and Roman Quinn (finger) landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. The Phillies are likely viewing Kingery as a utility man for the time being, but he could be the next man up for an everyday role if the team loses yet another lineup regular to injury in the near future.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Kingery was optioned to the Phillies' alternate training site Monday.
The Phillies wanted Kingery to get regular at-bats in the minors to sort things out after an awful 2020 season and a poor spring. They were forced to turn to him during a late-April injury crisis but will send him back down now that the minor leagues are about to start. Cristopher Sanchez was recalled in a corresponding move.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Called up by Phillies
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Kingery was recalled by the Phillies on Wednesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Kingery was unable to secure a spot on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster this year, but he'll join the major-league club after Jean Segura (quadriceps) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Kingery appeared in 36 games for the Phillies last year and slashed .159/.228/.283 with three home runs and six RBI.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Misses out on Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Phillies optioned Kingery to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Coming off a disastrous 2020 campaign in which he posted a lowly .159/.228/.283 slash line across 124 plate appearances, Kingery was forced to battle for a spot on the Opening Day roster during camp. He didn't fare much better this spring, contributing a .525 OPS while striking out in 19 of his 44 at-bats in Grapefruit League play before Philadelphia demoted him. The Phillies would ideally like to see Kingery regain some confidence at the plate at Triple-A before the team gives him another look with the big club.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Not promised everyday role
Rotowire
Phillies manager Joe Giradi said Kingery will battle for playing time at multiple positions in spring training, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
In a related note, Girardi said that Jean Segura would enter the spring as Philadelphia's primary second baseman, implying that Kingery won't be a challenger for regular playing time at the keystone. Kingery's prior experience at third base and shortstop as well as all three outfield spots affords him multiple avenues to find work, but the Phillies' unwillingness to reserve one position for him suggests that he won't be earmarked for an everyday role. The lack of commitment comes as no surprise, given that Kingery was one of the majors' least productive hitters in 2020 with a .159/.228/.283 slash line (37 wRC+) across his 124 plate appearances.
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Phillies' Scott Kingery: Smacks third homer Tuesday
Rotowire
Kingery went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during an 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Nationals in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
After remaining on the bench during the matinee Tuesday, Kingery got the start at second base for the nightcap and took Paulo Espino deep in the fourth inning for his third homer of the year. Kingery has started nine of the last 11 games, and while his .222 batting average (6-for-27) over that stretch isn't particularly impressive, five of his hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles, two homers) and he's drawn five walks as well.
