SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Feb. 25) \u2014 A week after getting married, infielder Buddy Kennedy<\/strong><\/a> and his wife packed up and flew to Arizona so he could report to spring training with the San Francisco Giants<\/a>. For most newlyweds, that kind of abrupt transition might feel jarring. For Kennedy \u2014 whose last two seasons have been a blur of call-ups, DFAs, and new uniforms \u2014 it felt like the next stop on a journey he\u2019s learned to roll with.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the course of two years, yeah, it\u2019s been crazy,\u201d Kennedy said with a small laugh, \u201cJust a journey.\u201d<\/p>\n When Kennedy last spoke with Sport Relay <\/em>in August 2023, he was still with the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>, a young infielder trying to secure a long-term role. Not long after, the carousel began.<\/p>\n In 2023, he was recalled to the majors, back to the team with which he epically debuted in 2022<\/a>. 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\u2019s final three weeks with Triple-A Las Vegas, the affiliate of the then-Oakland Athletics<\/a>. After the season ended, the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> claimed him off waivers. They placed him on their 40-man roster, setting up what looked like a fresh opportunity.<\/p>\n He reported to Cardinals spring training in Jupiter, Florida, spent about 10\u201312 days there, then was DFAed again. Two days later, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers<\/a>. 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kennedy spent the bulk of the summer with the Phillies\u2019 Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs. The Ironpigs play in Allentown, Pennsylvania \u2014 a roughly two-hour drive from Kennedy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Heading into 2025, out of minor-league options, Kennedy went to spring training with the Phillies but didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n From there, the path snaked north. He signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, 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<\/a>. His Dodgers tenure lasted about a week and a half \u2014 seven games \u2014 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.<\/p>\n A nod to Ricky Nelson\u2019s \u201cTravelin\u2019 Man\u201d<\/a> after he recounted his journey earned a quick laugh from Kennedy.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen anybody gets designated for assignment, it\u2019s like a punch in the gut,\u201d he said. \u201cYou work so hard, and you kind of think it\u2019s you as a player sometimes \u2014 \u2018Oh, am I not good enough?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s honest enough to admit the early ones hurt more.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the first two or three times, discouragement, yeah, that was for sure a thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes business transactions in baseball are not really the player,\u201d he said. \u201cThey may not have a roster spot for the time being. And at the moment, I\u2019ve been, unfortunately, the lucky\u2013unlucky one.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter that, it\u2019s like, no, I\u2019m a really good player,\u201d he said. \u201cI wake up every day, get to do this for a living. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n If he can end the day knowing he did those things, he can live with whatever decision a front office makes.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the same message he\u2019d offer to anyone who keeps getting close only to fall short \u2014 whether in baseball or elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cHave confidence in yourself. Don\u2019t let anybody dictate your own future,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cOpportunities come up when you\u2019re 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\u2019s an at-bat in the ninth or a defensive replacement in the eighth.\u201d<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s perseverance isn\u2019t only mental. It\u2019s grounded in a strong sense of craft, especially on defense. His time in Arizona included work with one of the game\u2019s top infield coaches, Tony Perezchica<\/a><\/strong>. It also included work with first baseman Christian Walker<\/a><\/strong>, winner of three straight Gold Gloves. Both are now with the Houston Astros<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody wants to go and field ground balls immediately, right on the field,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cYes, that\u2019s 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\u2019t get to.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cTony asked, \u2018You still keeping up with your hand drill stuff?\u2019 I said, \u2018Oh yeah, trust me,\u2019\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cHe said, \u2018All right, make sure you do it, because that will continuously keep you in good spots.\u2019\u201d He summed up what he learned from both Perezchica and Walker. \u201cWork on the little things, perfect<\/em> the little things \u2014 that will make you be the best infielder over time.\u201d<\/p>\nA Traveling Man<\/h3>\n
Near the Old Stompin\u2019 Grounds<\/h4>\n
The Punch in the Gut<\/h3>\n
Confidence and Gratitude<\/h3>\n
Craft, Clubhouses, and a Ring<\/h3>\n
Big League Moments<\/h4>\n