Buddy Kennedy and His Journey to the Giants
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Feb. 25) — A week after getting married, infielder Buddy Kennedy and his wife packed up and flew to Arizona so he could report to spring training with the San Francisco Giants. For most newlyweds, that kind of abrupt transition might feel jarring. For Kennedy — whose last two seasons have been a blur of call-ups, DFAs, and new uniforms — it felt like the next stop on a journey he’s learned to roll with.
His recent career reads like a transactions log: recalled, optioned, designated for assignment, traded, claimed, outrighted, re-signed. In a way, it has been a test of how much a player can endure without losing who he is.
“Over the course of two years, yeah, it’s been crazy,” Kennedy said with a small laugh, “Just a journey.”
A Traveling Man
When Kennedy last spoke with Sport Relay in August 2023, he was still with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a young infielder trying to secure a long-term role. Not long after, the carousel began.
In 2023, he was recalled to the majors, back to the team with which he epically debuted in 2022. A week and a half later, the Diamondbacks optioned Kennedy to the Triple-A Reno Aces. He joined the team in Albuquerque, but before they left, he was designated for assignment (DFAed). He played that season’s final three weeks with Triple-A Las Vegas, the affiliate of the then-Oakland Athletics. After the season ended, the St. Louis Cardinals claimed him off waivers. They placed him on their 40-man roster, setting up what looked like a fresh opportunity.
He reported to Cardinals spring training in Jupiter, Florida, spent about 10–12 days there, then was DFAed again. Two days later, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers. That spring, he shifted to Triple-A Toledo, earned a call-up at the end of April for a couple of weeks, then was sent back down. In June, he was DFAed once more and, before the seven-day process played out, traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Near the Old Stompin’ Grounds
Kennedy spent the bulk of the summer with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs. The Ironpigs play in Allentown, Pennsylvania — a roughly two-hour drive from Kennedy’s hometown of Millville, New Jersey. In September, he earned a call-up. But he yo-yoed between Triple-A and the majors three times in that month alone.
Heading into 2025, out of minor-league options, Kennedy went to spring training with the Phillies but didn’t make the team, designated for assignment again. He signed a minor-league deal to stay with the organization, got called up on June 19, then was DFAed yet again.
From there, the path snaked north. He signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, reported to Triple-A Buffalo for about three weeks, then finally got back to the majors. After roughly a week and a half in Toronto, playing in two games, he was DFAed and claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His Dodgers tenure lasted about a week and a half — seven games — before another DFA. He returned to Toronto on a minor-league deal and finished the season in Buffalo. In December, he signed a minor-league deal with the Giants.
A nod to Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man” after he recounted his journey earned a quick laugh from Kennedy.
The Punch in the Gut
For all the cities, teams, and uniforms, the part that sticks with Kennedy most sharply is the feeling when a team calls him in with DFA news.
“When anybody gets designated for assignment, it’s like a punch in the gut,” he said. “You work so hard, and you kind of think it’s you as a player sometimes — ‘Oh, am I not good enough?’”
He’s honest enough to admit the early ones hurt more.
“I think the first two or three times, discouragement, yeah, that was for sure a thing,” he said.
But with repetition came perspective. Kennedy began to see that his fate often had less to do with his performance and more to do with the unforgiving arithmetic of 40-man rosters.
“Sometimes business transactions in baseball are not really the player,” he said. “They may not have a roster spot for the time being. And at the moment, I’ve been, unfortunately, the lucky–unlucky one.”
Confidence and Gratitude
What has kept Kennedy from breaking under that constant uncertainty is a stubborn sense of self-belief and a daily commitment to the required work.
“After that, it’s like, no, I’m a really good player,” he said. “I wake up every day, get to do this for a living. I’m blessed to be able to do this for a living. And all you can do is show up, play hard, have the right attitude, and leave it all on the field.”
If he can end the day knowing he did those things, he can live with whatever decision a front office makes.
That’s the same message he’d offer to anyone who keeps getting close only to fall short — whether in baseball or elsewhere.
“Have confidence in yourself. Don’t let anybody dictate your own future,” Kennedy said. “Opportunities come up when you’re not expecting it. So keep working hard, grinding at it, trying to be the best human being you can be, the best ballplayer you can be, and be prepared for the opportunity when it comes. Do the best you can, even if it’s an at-bat in the ninth or a defensive replacement in the eighth.”
Craft, Clubhouses, and a Ring
Kennedy’s perseverance isn’t only mental. It’s grounded in a strong sense of craft, especially on defense. His time in Arizona included work with one of the game’s top infield coaches, Tony Perezchica. It also included work with first baseman Christian Walker, winner of three straight Gold Gloves. Both are now with the Houston Astros.
“Everybody wants to go and field ground balls immediately, right on the field,” Kennedy said. “Yes, that’s part of it, for sure, but glove presentation, glove work, and a good first step can get you to some balls that, in the past, you wouldn’t get to.”
Perezchica drilled him on handwork and footwork to handle bad hops and awkward angles. Last year in Houston, when he ran into Walker and Perezchica again while with the Phillies, the message was the same.
“Tony asked, ‘You still keeping up with your hand drill stuff?’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, trust me,’” Kennedy said. “He said, ‘All right, make sure you do it, because that will continuously keep you in good spots.’” He summed up what he learned from both Perezchica and Walker. “Work on the little things, perfect the little things — that will make you be the best infielder over time.”
Big League Moments
Along the way, there have been flashes of big-league joy. Both his major league home runs so far have come against the Minnesota Twins, including a grand slam — a fact not lost on Giants bench coach Jayce Tingler. Tingler was the Twins bench coach when Kennedy hit both of those homers. One homer was in Arizona, and the other was in Minnesota.
“I was talking to Tingler,” Kennedy recalled. “He said, ‘What’s your problem, when you come face us?’” Kennedy had no answer, merely saying, “I have no idea.”
And then there’s the World Series ring he earned with the Dodgers — a tangible symbol of a pinnacle many players never touch. That includes his grandfather, Don Money, a four-time All-Star infielder with the Phillies (1968-72) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1973-83).
“My grandfather played in the ’82 World Series and didn’t win it,” Kennedy said. “He told me stories about it, and he said, ‘You get to have one. That’s a dream for some people.’” The ring is still special to Kennedy, even though he wasn’t with the Dodgers by the time the postseason began. “To have one that I can show my kids, my grandkids…they don’t really come around very often,” he said.
A New Chapter
As mentioned earlier, the week after getting married, Buddy Kennedy and his wife headed to Scottsdale so he could report to camp with the Giants. While there, he’s been bouncing between first, second, and third base while continuing to refine his swing.
“Have fun, compete, do everything I can,” he said of his current baseball mindset. “Wherever I end up, I will be Buddy and do the best I can, and everything will fall into place.”
For a player who has been the “lucky–unlucky one” more than once, that might sound like wishful thinking. But to watch Kennedy tell his story, it feels less like hope and more like conviction. Whatever city he’s in next, he plans to keep showing up the same way. He’ll be confident in his game, grounded in the work, and ready when the next opportunity comes.
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Main Photo Credits:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Feb. 23) — San Francisco Giants infielder Buddy Kennedy throws to first while warming up between innings in Cactus League action against the Athletics. (Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay)
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