Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
The Philadelphia Phillies made a minor move on Friday prior to the start of their weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Utilityman Otto Kemp has been sent back down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and the team is expected to promote switch-hitting outfielder Steward Berroa according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
It is the second time this season Kemp has been sent back to Lehigh Valley this season after being on the Opening Day roster. Kemp got off to a slow start to the season before his first demotion. After being called up a second time after Felix Reyes was sent down, Kemp saw just five plate appearances in the past 10 days and it was clear that he would not get consistent playing time.
The Phillies claimed the Dominican Republic native, who will turn 27 next Friday, last month. He has had a couple of stints in the big leagues, appearing in two games last season with the Milwaukee Brewers as well as playing in 28 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024.
With the Blue Jays he hit .189 (7-for-37) with a double and an RBI, adding six stolen bases.
So far this season with Lehigh Valley, Berroa has a .761 OPS in 168 plate appearances and has primarily been the centerfielder for the IronPigs. He has four homers and 20 RBIs with nine stolen bases in 38 games.
In 218 games in Triple-A, Berroa is a .254 hitter with a .733 OPS in 841 plate appearances.
Berroa is not expected to see a lot of time on the field, but he does add speed and plus defense off the bench, which has been a weakness for the Phillies so far this season. He is also a more natural fit defensively in centerfield.
