Detroit Tigers claim infielder Buddy Kennedy, who had .432 OBP in Triple-A, off waivers
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy, who has played in 40 games across parts of two seasons in his MLB career, off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kennedy, 25, primary plays second base.
Infielder Andre Lipcius, who made his MLB debut last season, was designated for assignment Thursday to create room for Kennedy on the 40-man roster. Lipcius had to be scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida.
"The timing of that was really different," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Friday morning, "just because our game was about to start, and the message got sent down to me to send Lip in (to talk to general manager Jeff Greenberg), and that we had claimed Buddy Kennedy."
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Kennedy has been claimed off waivers three times since September 2023. The Oakland Athletics claimed him off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks in early September, then the St. Louis Cardinals claimed him off waivers from the Athletics in late October.
Now, Kennedy has joined the Tigers as a waiver claim — scooped up by president of baseball operations Scott Harris — after getting designated for assignment by the Cardinals.
"He's a nice player," Hinch said. "He can move around the field a little bit. He's got a track record of playing good defense and controlling the zone, hitting lefties. There are a lot of things to like about Buddy, and now there's some uncertainty with Lip."
Kennedy, a right-handed hitter, hit .308 with five home runs, 76 walks (16.4% walk rate) and 81 strikeouts (17.5% strikeout rate) across 101 games for Triple-A Reno and Triple-A Las Vegas last season, posting a .432 on-base percentage.
Back in 2021, Kennedy launched 22 home runs in 96 games with High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo, but he hasn't delivered the same power at the higher levels.
He has a .380 OBP in his 498-game career in the minor leagues.
"The on-base is huge," Hinch said. "He'll conduct a really good at-bat. I like his defense. He's got decent speed. He's got a minor-league track record of performing. He's had a little taste of the big leagues before. There are some things for us to take a look at to see if he can impact this roster."
Kennedy, who has one minor-league option remaining, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the fifth round, at No. 142 overall, of the 2017 draft out of Millville Senior High School in New Jersey, the same high school as three-time American League MVP Mike Trout.
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BUDDY KENNEDY WITH A FATHER'S DAY GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/RuV7u3rARK
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) June 19, 2022
Kennedy made his MLB debut in June 2022. He has played 40 games in his MLB career, all for the Diamondbacks, hitting .206 with one home run, 12 walks and 29 strikeouts.
Lipcius, a third-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Tennessee, hit .286 with one home run, three walks and eight strikeouts in 13 games with the Tigers last season.
The 25-year-old can be outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, thus remaining in the Tigers' organization, if he clears waivers. He hit .272 with a .363 on-base percentage in 97 games for the Mud Hens in 2023, before his September promotion to the Tigers.
"Something is going to be different for Lip, one way or the other," Hinch said. "We'll see where it goes. He's a good player, too, and you make choices to try to find different skillsets. This was a tough call."
Kennedy, who grades as a better defender than Lipcius, is scheduled to arrive in Lakeland on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals, his former team, hold spring training in Jupiter, Florida, which is on the southeast side of the state.
He is expected to play in his first game Sunday against the New York Yankees in Tampa.
"We'll get him a full workout," Hinch said. "We'll get him a couple of days to get his feet on the ground and meet everyone."
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers add Buddy Kennedy, who had .432 OBP in Triple-A
