The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed former Millville High School star Buddy Kennedy after he was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays, replacing Max Muncy on the big league roster.

Kennedy was DFA’d by Philadelphia to make room for Bryce Harper back on June 30, who was out with a wrist injury. 

He left Philadelphia and signed a minor league deal with Toronto in early August, and was sent to Triple-A by the organization on Aug. 12.

Strong Numbers with Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Kennedy rejoined the Phillies this offseason, signing a minor league contract with the club before the 2025 season, but was the final cut coming out of Clearwater. At Triple-A, he slashed .283/.388/.447 with eight home runs, 40 RBI this season for the Iron Pigs before getting called up by Philadelphia.

During his time with Toronto and Philadelphia this season, he is 1-12 (.083) with three strikeouts. Last season with the Phillies, he appeared in eight games and recorded a .200/.308/.500 slash line, but had a solid campaign at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Buddy Kennedy’s Journey Through MLB Organizations

The 2017 Millville High graduate has struggled to find a consistent role at the major league level, with the Dodgers now his seventh organization he has spent time with since making his major league debut.

In addition to Philadelphia and LA, Kennedy was drafted by Arizona in the fifth round of the MLB Draft and made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks. After his time in Arizona, he landed in Oakland, had a short stint with St Louis, before landing in Detroit and later Toronto.

Overall, he has 60 games of big league experience, hitting .193 with two home runs and 19 RBI.

Kennedy’s Utility Role Across the Diamond

The 26-year-old plays second, third, and first, and even played some left field with Philadelphia during Spring Training.

South Jersey Connection with Fellow Alumni

While with the Blue Jays,  Kennedy was able to reunite with a few South Jersey alumni, joining Davis Schneider of Eastern and Joey Loperfido of Haddonfield, who were all named to the All-South Jersey in 2016 and 2017.  

Over his three seasons with the T-Bolts, Kennedy had 54 hits in 108 at-bats, hitting 18 home runs with 54 RBI.

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