Twins Acquire Kody Clemens from Phillies

[Seth Stohs]

With Luke Keaschall likely out for an extended time frame, the Minnesota Twins were in need of players able to play. Late on Friday night, they made a trade to acquire utility man Kody Clemens. 

Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One of the perceived strengths of the Twins coming into spring training was their depth. They have a lot of starting pitchers. Seven have made starts already this season, and we talk about how close other prospects can be. The bullpen does have some depth and they use the full 40-man roster for it. The depth on the position player side of the coin came from the fact that they have a lot of players with a lot of versatility. But when several of those versatile players are unavailable, well, the depth is in dire straits.  Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll have been quite busy of late. 

For the second time in a week, the Minnesota Twins have made a trade to acquire a recently-DFAd player from an NL East team. A week ago, the Twins sent some cash to the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielder Jonah Bride. Following Friday night's game, the Twins made a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies to acquire infielder/outfielder Kody Clemens. 

The son of former All Star and multi-Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens has a total of 402 MLB plate appearances since he debuted in May of 2022 for the Tigers. He played in 56  gams and hit .197 (.505) with four doubles and five homers. He played first, second, and third base as well as left field. He also pitched.  

In January of 2023, he was sent from Detroit to the Phillies with reliever Gregory Soto for three players. He played in 47 games for Philly in 2023 and hit .230 (.655) with seven doubles and four homers. In 2024, he played in 43 games and hit .219/.258/.447 (.706) with nine doubles, a triple and five homers. In the 2024 playoffs, Clemens went 2-for-5 (.400) with a double. This season, he was 0-for-6 in seven games played. The Phillies Designated him for Assignment on Wednesday.   

He has played in 144 MLB games. He has made 53 starts at first base, 21 starts at third base, 10 starts at second base, and six starts in left field. Earlier I mentioned that he pitched a bit for the Tigers in 2022. The 2018 draft pick from Texas pitched in seven games in 2022. In 2023, he pitched four times. Last year, he pitched just once. 

In other words, Clemens can play around the field, particularly in the infield, something the Twins are desperate for right now. 

In his first plate appearance on Friday night, Twins rookie Luke Keaschall was hit on the wrist by a pitch. While it looked like it hurt, Keaschall went to first base and seemed OK. Until cameras showed him trying to put on his "oven mitt" for running the bases. That looked painful. When the time came for his next plate appearance, Mickey Gasper took the at-bat. 

Following the game, the team announced that Keaschall had an x-ray that showed a fractured arm, and it will keep him out for an extended period of time.  

The Keaschall injury is just another in a long line of lengthy injuries to top Twins prospects over the past couple of decades. On a positive note, Royce Lewis made his first rehab appearance on Friday night in St. Paul, but he will need more time after not playing in a game since hurting his hamstring in mid-March. After he was optioned a couple of weeks ago, Jose Miranda went on the Saints injured list thanks to a big case of water. Austin Martin began the season hitting well in St. Paul, but he hurt him hamstring tracking down a ball in the right centerfield gap. Willi Castro hurt his oblique and eventually had to be placed on the IL. Matt Wallner is likely to be out for awhile as well with his hamstring injury. 

The other player on the 40-man roster is Jair Camargo, who actually played some first base and third base for the Saints on Friday night due to Yunior Severino getting hurt, but that doesn't make sense. Emmanuel Rodriguez is on the 40-man roster, but he was out of the Saints lineup on Friday night with a thumb injury. 

The Twins were able to outright Diego Cartaya from the 40-man roster earlier on Friday, so Clemens' addition will not need a corresponding move on the 40-man roster. Keaschall will certainly go on the 10-Day IL. Not need to place him on the 60-Day Injured List at this point.   

---

A quick look at the Twins current roster (after this trade becomes official and an IL spot goes to Keaschall) presents a far different roster than the Twins were planning to have a month into the season.

C: Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vazquez
IF: Ty France, Edouard Julien, Carlos Correa, Brooks Lee, Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride
OF: Harrison Bader, Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach, DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.
MLB Injured List: UT Willi Castro, 2B/DH Luke Keaschall, 3B Royce Lewis, OF Matt Wallner 
Also on 40-Man Roster (Healthy): C Jair Camargo
Also on 40-Man Roster (Not Healthy): Austin Martin, Jose Miranda, Emmanuel Rodriguez)

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Assuming Royce Lewis's rehab goes well, maybe he joins the big-league club on the road in about a week. But we really don't have any timelines yet on Willi Castro, Matt Wallner, or now Keaschall. We also haven't heard updates on how Miranda and Martin are rehabbing. And Rodriguez has struggled the last two years with hand/thumb injuries, that we don't know how close he could be to a call up. 

So, the Twins won for the third time in the four games they have played at home this week. They have two more games against the Angels. They are now 10-16. Next week, they play four games in Cleveland against the Guardians before heading to Fenway for three games against the Red Sox. 

I guess I wouldn't go out and buy "Bride" or "Clemens" jerseys right now. Both players are out of options, and unless they quickly become cult heroes for on-field performances and big hits in the very near future (which would be GREAT), they are likely not long for the roster. These are the moves that make the most sense in responding to this very situation. They just need to be patient and get these players back. 

 

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[Mike Sixel]

And Eeles. And Jenkins. 

[Mark G]

The article began by talking about the depth the organization has within the 40 man roster, but how much depth can there be when we have to constantly probe the DFA list around MLB to fill holes?  Are we equating versatility with depth?  Because they are not the same things.  I know there are a handful of injured guys in St. Paul as well, but what does it say about our position player depth in our minor leagues that we feel other teams cast offs are better options than our AAA players?  

I am open to critique if I am missing something.  

[stringer bell]

We got Bronnie!

[mikelink45]

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride - that is our bench.  We are hurting! 

[thelanges5]

Do you move Correa back up to 3rd in the lineup? There really aren’t any good options now. Lewis probably back May 6th at the earliest  

Julien 

Buck 

Correa 

Larnach 

Jeffers 

France 

Lee 

Bader 

Revolving door of Clemens, Bride, Gasper, Keirsey

 

[DJL44]

37 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride - that is our bench.  We are hurting! 

Plus DaShawn Keirsey. One of them is going to be in the lineup every day because the DH spot is open.

Clemens and Bride make a weird platoon where both players have better career stats against same-handed pitching.

[CRF]

Anybody old enough (like me) to remember Chester Riley from The Life of Riley? He used to say "what a revoltin development this is!" I think that would apply to this situation with Keaschall perfectly. 

[Patzky]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Plus DaShawn Keirsey. One of them is going to be in the lineup every day because the DH spot is open.

Clemens and Bride make a weird platoon where both players have better career stats against same-handed pitching.

Gasper is the devil we know. Money's on him. Do we dare bat both catchers or will that invite further injury.?

[rv78]

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride

Totally agree with mikelink45 on this one. We've got a bench and it is directly from the dumpster. Good job Falvey. With every move you make, you are lowering the floor and making this team worse. It is laughable,

[Hubie29]

If he can pitch just half as well as his dad, we got a steal!

[stringer bell]

7 minutes ago, rv78 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride

Totally agree with mikelink45 on this one. We've got a bench and it is directly from the dumpster. Good job Falvey. With every move you make, you are lowering the floor and making this team worse. It is laughable,

There's a pretty big rash of injuries to infielders--second and third basemen--and I don't know if any team would thrive with so many guys out. Brooks Lee and Edouard Julien are getting a chance to show their value.

I presume two of the three "bench guys" will eventually be optioned/DFA'd. Right now they are getting service time for limited roles.

[AlGoreRythm]

On 4/26/2025 at 7:41 AM, rv78 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride

Totally agree with mikelink45 on this one. We've got a bench and it is directly from the dumpster. Good job Falvey. With every move you make, you are lowering the floor and making this team worse. It is laughable,

What moves would you have made to fill these spots left open from injuries?

It's one thing to do nothing in the off-season to improve the club, it's another to fill holes that occur due to injury.

I'm not saying Bride, Clemens and Gaspar are great or even good, but I fail to see how going out and getting guys to fill holes elicits a blame Falvey response. 

Would you prefer they play with a 23 man roster an no bench? How would you fill the holes left by injury?

 

[Whitey333]

Nothing against Kody Clemens but couldn't we have done better?  This going after other teams DFA players is getting old and worn out.  I think Clemens can help but really, come on.   What or who did we trade to get him?  Maybe his dad, Roger Clemens, can pitch once in a while.  Really sucks about Keashall getting hurt.  He brought some life to the team.  He could be out 2 months.  So sad.  We'll we have a deep bench now don't we?

 

[Sjoski]

“Gasper, Clemens, and Bride... oh my.”

[jorgenswest]

With Keaschall out they need a bat. They still have three guys that can play the left side in case on goes down in a game. They have enough that can 1B and 2B. I don’t see the need for both Clemons and Bride. I would have preferred they call up McCusker and put him at DH.

They still can do that. They can option Gasper and bring up McCusker but now they need a 40 spot. Instead they can DFA Bride which will create the 40 spot and maybe he will pass through waivers.

[rv78]

54 minutes ago, AlGoreRythm said:

What moves would you have made to fill these spots left open from injuries?

It's one thing to do nothing in the off-season to improve the club, it's another to fill holes that occur due to injury.

I'm not saying Bride, Clemens and Gaspar are great or even good, but I fail to see how going out and getting guys to fill holes elicits a blame Falvey response. 

Would you prefer they okay with a 23 man roster an no bench? How would you fill the holes left by injury?

 

MInors. If they aren't any better than the dumpster players other teams are dumping then this organization is in trouble. They brought up Keaschall and it seems he was ready. He wouldn't have been brought up if not for injury. I go to the next best man in AAA or even AA. Not someone else's trash.

[LambchoP]

Our infield is starting to look really pathetic. I understand these two new waiver wire guys will be temporary, but c'mon, this is the best we can do? We now have Clemens, Bride, Gasper, Keirsey and Vasquez on the big league team. That's 5 players that probably won't hit .200 on our MAJOR LEAGUE roster :(. Would be nice to get some updates on Martin, Wallner, Miranda, Eeles and Jenkins. How exactly does Rodriguez continually jam his thumbs on both hands over and over? I thought that's what those oven mitts are for. Not that he looked remotely ready for a call up, but it seems we're just looking for warm bodies at this point.  It's been nice getting wins against the WSox and LAA, but once we start playing real teams again the losses are going to pile up fast....

[jorgenswest]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Plus DaShawn Keirsey. One of them is going to be in the lineup every day because the DH spot is open.

Clemens and Bride make a weird platoon where both players have better career stats against same-handed pitching.

Bride’s history of reverse platoon includes the minors from the time he hit AAA and the difference seems significant. Clemens hit right handed pitching better in the minors over the last three years. It seems more likely that his major league reverse split is a function of only 62 plate appearances. His strike out walk ratio was 15 to 1. I think they are both better against right handed pitching and seem pretty redundant. 

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride - that is our bench.  We are hurting! 

Don't forget Vasquez

[Blyleven2011]

Clemens pitched for detroit and Philadelphia  , I suppose his stats weren't good enough to convert him full time to pitcher ...

But he can play all around the infield and left field , typical versatile pick up for the twins ...

[IndianaTwin]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

Anybody old enough (like me) to remember Chester Riley from The Life of Riley? He used to say "what a revoltin development this is!" I think that would apply to this situation with Keaschall perfectly. 

You're looking fine, CRF. Very natural.

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Sjoski said:

“Gasper, Clemens, and Bride... oh my.”

Next, the munchkins.

And your little dog too.

[T.O.]

The Twins are Hamstrung, Fracturing any chance they have of making the playoffs. Their future looks Oblique.

[bean5302]

36 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

...How exactly does Rodriguez continually jam his thumbs on both hands over and over? I thought that's what those oven mitts are for...

It's beyond ridiculous at this point.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, rv78 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride

Totally agree with mikelink45 on this one. We've got a bench and it is directly from the dumpster. Good job Falvey. With every move you make, you are lowering the floor and making this team worse. It is laughable,

What are the options 30 days after Opening Day?

Let’s here it Wizard.

Wallner - Miranda - Martin - Rodriguez - Lewis - Keaschall - Eles - etc. ALL hurt…….. Team supposed to have a duplicate MLB roster at AAA? Reality sucks.  There’s no alternatives other than to scramble!

[bean5302]

41 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Our infield is starting to look really pathetic. I understand these two new waiver wire guys will be temporary, but c'mon, this is the best we can do? We now have Clemens, Bride, Gasper, Keirsey and Vasquez on the big league team. That's 5 players that probably won't hit .200 on our MAJOR LEAGUE roster :(. Would be nice to get some updates on Martin, Wallner, Miranda, Eeles and Jenkins. How exactly does Rodriguez continually jam his thumbs on both hands over and over? I thought that's what those oven mitts are for. Not that he looked remotely ready for a call up, but it seems we're just looking for warm bodies at this point.  It's been nice getting wins against the WSox and LAA, but once we start playing real teams again the losses are going to pile up fast....

Lewis is probably 5 games away or so. Seems like the Twins are expecting Castro back soon despite the nature of obliques. Spending big to get guys isn't going to happen, I don't think. The players practically outnumber the fans in the stands...

[notoriousgod71]

3 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

Do you move Correa back up to 3rd in the lineup? There really aren’t any good options now. Lewis probably back May 6th at the earliest  

Julien 

Buck 

Correa 

Larnach 

Jeffers 

France 

Lee 

Bader 

Revolving door of Clemens, Bride, Gasper, Keirsey

 

This is a worse bench than even the mid 90s teams had.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Correa is injured and it didn’t heal over the offseason. Does he go on the IL when Royce comes back?

[rv78]

57 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

What are the options 30 days after Opening Day?

Let’s here it Wizard.

Wallner - Miranda - Martin - Rodriguez - Lewis - Keaschall - Eles - etc. ALL hurt…….. Team supposed to have a duplicate MLB roster at AAA? Reality sucks.  There’s no alternatives other than to scramble!

Ok, I'll repost since you missed it.

MInors. If they aren't any better than the dumpster players other teams are dumping then this organization is in trouble. They brought up Keaschall and it seems he was ready. He wouldn't have been brought up if not for injury. I go to the next best man in AAA or even AA. Not someone else's trash.

I'll add to that.

If we need to add other teams garbage that can't even hit .200 why bring up Keaschall in the first place? 

Let's hear it Wizard.