Giants Sign Buddy Kennedy, Caleb Kilian To Minors Contracts
The Giants signed infielder Buddy Kennedy and right-hander Caleb Kilian to minor league contracts last month, as per San Francisco’s official transactions page. The two players each elected minor league free agency following the season.
Kennedy appeared in 13 big league games in 2025, split between the Phillies (four games), Blue Jays (two games), and Dodgers (seven games). Because Kennedy is out of minor league options, he had to be designated for assignment rather than being simply sent down to Triple-A, resulting in a string of DFAs, outrights, a waiver claim, and two separate stints in Toronto’s organization. Despite his brief time with both the Dodgers and Blue Jays, Kennedy was assured of a World Series ring no matter who won the Fall Classic, bringing a nice bonus to the end of his fourth MLB season.
Beginning his pro career in the Diamondbacks organization, Kennedy has hit .178/.271/.274 over 181 big league plate appearances over 67 games with five different teams. His minor league numbers are markedly better (.281/.388/.429 with 33 homers over 1704 career Triple-A PA) but Kennedy’s calling card is his defensive versatility. Kennedy has a lot of experience at first, second, and third base, plus some work as a shortstop and left fielder.
Playing time figures to be scarce on a Giants’ infield that has a set starter at every position except second base, and even the keystone could be filled with a prominent name given the rumors linking San Francisco to Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan. Casey Schmitt would move into a backup infield role in that scenario, and Christian Koss, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Osleivis Basabe are all ahead of Kennedy on the depth chart. Kennedy’s out-of-option status won’t help his chances of breaking camp, but he could stick at the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate as a depth option.
Kilian began his pro career as an eighth-round pick for the Giants in the 2019 draft, and the righty was one of the two prospects San Francisco dealt to the Cubs for Kris Bryant at the 2021 trade deadline. Kilian started five of eight games for Chicago scattered across the 2022-24 seasons, and he has a 9.22 ERA and almost as many walks (six) as strikeouts (seven) over his 27 1/3 career Major League innings.
A teres major strain also kept Kilian on the injured list for over half of the 2024 season, and an undisclosed injury while in Triple-A limited the righty to 15 2/3 minor league innings in 2025 and no time on Chicago’s active roster. Pitching mostly out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, Kilian struggled to a 7.47 ERA in 2025, though his health issues likely impacted that shaky performance.
Though there has been plenty of turnover within San Francisco’s organization since the last time Kilian was there, the 28-year-old could benefit from a familiar environment and some fresh voices to help him get his career on track. Staying on the field after two injury-marred seasons is the first priority, and the Giants’ pitching development team can then determine if Kilian still has a future as a starter or if a relief role is a better fit.
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Blue Jays Sign Buddy Kennedy, Rene Pinto To Minor League Deals
The Blue Jays agreed to minor league contracts with infielder Buddy Kennedy and catcher René Pinto. Kennedy has already returned to Triple-A Buffalo and played there tonight. Pinto has yet to get into a game with the Bisons, but the MLB.com transaction tracker indicates he signed with Toronto on Monday.
Kennedy first signed a minor league deal with Toronto in July. The Jays called him in early August while Andrés Giménez was on the injured list. They kept him on the big league roster for a week and designated him for assignment when Giménez returned. The Dodgers were dealing with a few infield injuries and snagged him off waivers. Kennedy was on the L.A. roster for 10 days but lost his spot when Kiké Hernández came back from injury.
After clearing outright waivers, the former fifth-round pick elected free agency. He circles back to the Jays to serve as infield depth for the final few weeks of the regular season. Kennedy is a lifetime .178/.271/.274 hitter at the major league level. He owns a much more solid .278/.388/.429 line in parts of four Triple-A campaigns. Kennedy mostly plays third base but can factor in at both positions on the right side of the infield as well.
Pinto, 28, was granted his release from a minor league contract with Arizona last month. The Venezuelan backstop never played in the majors with the Diamondbacks. He appeared at the highest level with the Rays each season from 2022-24. Pinto hit .231/.263/.404 across 82 games. Tampa Bay gave him a brief look as their starting catcher early last year, but he struggled on both sides of the ball and spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A.
The right-handed hitting Pinto has shown some power in the minors. He has 57 career Triple-A home runs, slashing .256/.307/.493 in more than 1100 plate appearances at the level. That includes a .268/.324/.517 line with 11 homers in 54 games for Arizona’s affiliate. Toronto has Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman as their only catchers on the 40-man roster. Their previous Triple-A catchers, Phil Clarke and Brandon Valenzuela, have no major league experience. If his deal was indeed signed on September 1, Pinto would not be eligible for the playoff roster but provides a more experienced depth option for the next few weeks in case Kirk or Heineman suffer an injury.
Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency
Infielder Buddy Kennedy elected free agency after being outrighted by the Dodgers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week when Kiké Hernández returned from injury.
Los Angeles claimed Kennedy off waivers from Toronto two weeks ago. That coincided with an IL placement for Max Muncy. He joined Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Hernández on the shelf. Kennedy provided an extra infielder alongside Miguel Rojas and rookie Alex Freeland between second and third base. He went 1-17 over seven games.
A former fifth-round pick of the Diamondbacks, Kennedy has played sporadically in parts of four big league seasons. He’s a .178/.271/.274 hitter in 181 career plate appearances. The 26-year-old has split time in Triple-A this year between the Philadelphia and Toronto systems. He has turned in a solid .268/.372/.408 showing in 77 combined games.
Kennedy will look for a minor league deal elsewhere. He’d need to be in another organization by September 1 to be eligible for a postseason roster. He’d be a long shot to get a playoff roster spot either way, of course, but it stands to reason a signing team would prefer that flexibility if they’re adding him as upper minors infield depth.
Dodgers Designate Buddy Kennedy For Assignment
The Dodgers designated infielder Buddy Kennedy for assignment. That makes room on the roster for Kiké Hernández, who is back from the 10-day injured list. Kennedy is out of options, so the Dodgers need to expose him to waivers to take him off the big league roster. The team’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
Los Angeles claimed Kennedy off waivers from Toronto ten days ago. That coincided with an IL placement for Max Muncy. He joined Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Hernández on the shelf. Kennedy provided an extra infielder alongside Miguel Rojas and rookie Alex Freeland between second and third base. He went 1-17 over seven games.
A former fifth-round pick of the Diamondbacks, Kennedy has played sporadically in parts of four big league seasons. He’s a .178/.271/.274 hitter in 181 career plate appearances. The 26-year-old has split time in Triple-A this year between the Philadelphia and Toronto systems. He has turned in a solid .268/.372/.408 showing in 77 combined games.
The Dodgers will place Kennedy on outright waivers this week. He has cleared waivers a few times in his career and has the right to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed.
Dodgers To Place Max Muncy On IL With Oblique Strain, Claim Buddy Kennedy
The Dodgers have claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the Blue Jays, per Dodger Blue. Right-hander Julian Fernández has been designated for assignment as the corresponding 40-man move. Toronto designated Kennedy for assignment last week. Manager Dave Roberts says that Kennedy will jump right onto the active roster as third baseman Max Muncy goes on the 10-day injured list due to a grade 1 oblique strain, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Muncy was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to right side soreness. The club was off yesterday and it seems further testing has determined that he needs at least a bit of a breather. It’s not clear exactly how long that breather will be. “I don’t think anybody expects it to be season-ending, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later,” Roberts said, per Alden González of ESPN.
It’s an unfortunate development for the Dodgers. It’s been a real up-and-down season for Muncy but he’s been in good form lately. He started the year ice cold, slashing .190/.313/.286 through May 12th. Since then, he’s been red hot, hitting .314/.447/.660. That heater was interrupted by a monthlong stint on the IL due to a bone bruise in his left knee but that didn’t slow down his production. He came off the IL a little over a week ago and produced a .348/.531/.870 line in eight games between IL stints.
Despite Muncy’s production, the Dodgers have been in a bit of a skid lately. They went 10-14 in July and are 5-7 so far in August. Meanwhile, the Padres have gone on a tear and have taken over the lead in the American League West. The two clubs start a series against each other in Los Angeles tonight. Losing one of their hottest hitters is obviously less than ideal for the Dodgers as they move into the stretch run. Ideally, Muncy can return fairly quickly but oblique injuries are notoriously difficult.
It’s also not great when considering the club’s larger infield picture. Enrique Hernández, Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are also on the IL, leaving the club a bit thin in that department. Alex Freeland will likely step in as the regular third baseman with Miguel Rojas taking over the keystone. The only healthy position player on the 40-man roster who is on optional assignment is outfielder Esteury Ruiz.
Claiming Kennedy gives the Dodgers a bench infielder, something they would have otherwise lacked. The 26-year-old has plenty of intriguing numbers in the minors but hasn’t yet clicked in the majors. That has led to him exhausting his options, which has pushed him into journeyman territory. Over the past few years, he has suited up for the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Phillies and Blue Jays. He has stepped to the plate 163 times scattered over the four most recent seasons but with just a .193/.288/.300 line to show for it.
As mentioned, his minor league work has been better. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has 1,262 Triple-A plate appearances. His 13.9% walk rate and 17.1% strikeout rate in that time are both solid figures. He produced a combined .284/.395/.443 line and 116 wRC+ over that span while playing all four infield spots and a bit of left field as well. Since he’s out of options, he may only hold his roster spot for as long as it takes for someone else to come off the IL. But he was out there on the wire when they needed an infielder, so he’ll get a shot with the Dodgers now.
Fernández, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason. He was selected to the 40-man roster on July 7th. He pitched two innings that day, allowing two earned runs, and was optioned back down to Triple-A the next day.
His major league track record is still limited, as he had just six appearances prior to his one with the Dodgers this year, but he’s been in good form in Triple-A this season. He has tossed 41 1/3 innings with the Oklahoma City Comets, pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, with a 3.05 earned run average, 8.8% walk rate and 28.7% strikeout rate.
With the trade deadline having passed, Fernández will end up on waivers. He can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season. Given his numbers this year and the fact that he can be stashed in the minors, it’s possible he gets claimed in the coming week by a club in search of extra bullpen depth.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Blue Jays To Designate Buddy Kennedy For Assignment
The Blue Jays are activating infielder Andrés Giménez from the 10-day injured list, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. In a corresponding move, infielder Buddy Kennedy will be designated for assignment.
Kennedy was selected to Toronto’s roster a week ago. It seemed likely to be a short stay. He was hitting just .207/.309/.259 for Triple-A Buffalo at the time he was called up. His selection was less about his performance and more about the specific roster needs.
The Jays went with a temporary three-catcher setup. Ali Sánchez was selected to the roster when Alejandro Kirk landed on the concussion injured list. When Kirk was ready to return, Tyler Heineman was also banged up after taking a foul ball to the mask. They decided to keep all three for a few days, just to be safe, which meant bench infielder Leo Jiménez had to be optioned out as the corresponding move for Kirk’s activation.
A few days later, the Jays were comfortable enough with the health of Kirk and Heineman to bring back another bench infielder. Jiménez had not yet been optioned for the 10-day minimum, so he couldn’t be recalled. Giménez was still not ready to come off the IL but was beginning a rehab assignment. Kennedy got the roster spot while Giménez got into game shape. The Jays sent Kennedy to the plate 6 times and he got a hit and a walk, but he’s now been squeezed out.
Since Kennedy is out of options, he had to be removed from the 40-man. With the trade deadline having passed, the Jays will have to put him on waivers. He was passed through waivers unclaimed just over a month ago, after being designated for assignment by the Phillies, and could do so again.
He now has a .193/.288/.300 line in 163 big league appearances. His Triple-A work is better, with a .284/.395/.443 line and 118 wRC+ dating back to the start of 2023. However, his out-of-options status makes it hard for him to hold a roster spot for very long. If he clears waivers again, he’ll have to right to elect free agency since he has a previous career outright.
Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Designate Ali Sánchez For Assignment, Select Buddy Kennedy
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy. In a corresponding move, catcher Ali Sánchez has been designated for assignment. The 40-man roster remains full.
Sánchez was selected to the roster a little over a week ago when Alejandro Kirk landed on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Kirk was reinstated on Sunday but Tyler Heineman had been removed from Saturday’s contest after being struck by a foul ball. The Jays decided to keep all three catchers for a few days to buy some time as they evaluated Heineman.
In order to keep that catching depth, they had to cut into their infield group, as Leo Jiménez was optioned down to Triple-A Buffalo move as the corresponding move for Kirk’s activation. It now appears the club is satisfied with Heineman’s health enough to restore the previous balance, so they have swapped out a catcher for an infielder. Since Sánchez is out of options, he had to be removed from the 40-man roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Jays will have to place him on waivers.
It’s the second time this year that Sánchez has gotten a brief stint on the roster as an injury replacement. He was called up in May when Heineman was on the concussion IL. Sánchez was designated for assignment just over a week later when Heineman was reinstated. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed on a new minor league deal, which allowed him to get back to the big leagues again when Kirk got hurt. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.
Around the transactions, Sánchez has hit .238/.238/.333 in 21 big league plate appearances. He has a strong .279/.347/.419 line and 107 wRC+ in 199 Triple-A plate appearances this year. The Jays added some catching depth ahead of the deadline by sending Will Wagner to the Padres for Brandon Valenzuela, but Valenzuela has no big league experience and even limited time at Triple-A. The Jays would presumably be open to bringing Sánchez back in a non-roster capacity so he could again be the first man up if one of the big league catchers gets hurt.
Simply recalling Jiménez to retake his roster spot wasn’t a possibility since the ten-day minimum stint for an optional assignment hadn’t yet elapsed, so the Jays have tapped Kennedy instead. Kennedy signed a minor league deal with the Jays a few weeks ago after being cut loose by the Phillies. He has since played 16 games for the Bisons with a dismal .207/.309/.259 line.
That’s not too far off from the .193/.287/.296 line he has in his major league career, but his larger body of work at the Triple-A level is better. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has a .268/.372/.408 line and 111 wRC+ at the top minor league level. He has big league experience at the non-shortstop infield positions.
Kennedy is out of options and may have a tenuous grip on a roster spot. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, both Andrés Giménez and George Springer are beginning rehab assignments this week, so the Jays will need to open some more roster spots soon.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images
Blue Jays, Joe Mantiply Agree To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Toronto also recently inked utilityman Buddy Kennedy to a minor league pact after he was released by the Phillies. He’s already made his debut with their Triple-A affiliate.
Mantiply was released by the Diamondbacks in early June after struggling considerably early in the year. The 34-year-old has a nice track record and was an important piece of Arizona’s bullpen from 2021-24, tossing 198 1/3 frames with a 3.63 earned run average, 22% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 51.9% ground-ball rate. He picked up three saves and 50 holds over that four-year run.
That track record feels like a distant memory after Mantiply was rocked for a 15.83 ERA in 9 2/3 big league innings this season. He’s never been a hard-thrower, but Mantiply’s 88.2 mph average fastball in 2025 was well shy of its 91.3 mph peak or even last year’s 89.5 mph average. Mantiply has struggled both in the majors and in Triple-A this season; he was tagged for a 5.56 ERA in 11/3 innings with the Diamondbacks’ Reno affiliate.
The Jays already have a pair of lefties in the big league bullpen: Justin Bruihl and breakout setup man Brendon Little. A third southpaw, Mason Fluharty, was just optioned to Triple-A Buffalo late in the season’s first half. Bruihl is a minor league signee who was just selected to the big league roster a few weeks ago. Fluharty was excellent up into early June but was rocked for a dozen runs in a span of 7 1/3 innings before being optioned back to Buffalo.
Mantiply will add some left-handed depth beyond that trio. He’ll join Amir Garrett — also with the Jays’ Triple-A club — as a veteran lefty reliever with some track record hoping to earn a look in Toronto.
Kennedy has appeared in parts of four major league seasons between the D-backs, Tigers and Phillies, but he’s only tallied 157 plate appearances in that time. He’s a .193/.287/.296 hitter at the big league level but touts a nice .279/.388/.432 slash in just over 1600 Triple-A plate appearances. Kennedy has already taken eight plate appearances in Buffalo, going 0-for-7 with a walk. He’s primarily played second base and third base in pro ball but does have more than 400 innings at first base and 93 innings of left field work under his belt.
Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency
The Phillies announced this evening that infielder Buddy Kennedy has cleared waivers and has elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.
The 26-year-old was DFA’d by Philadelphia multiple times this season. Kennedy has gotten into just 58 big league games during his career across the Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Phillies organizations but entered the 2025 season with no options remaining after several years of being utilized primarily as optionable infield depth. Kennedy’s .193/.287/.296 slash line across 157 major league plate appearances is hardly spectacular, though he’s an adequate defender at both second and third base with a .283/.380/.441 slash line for his career at Triple-A.
That on-base ability has shown up somewhat in the majors given his 10.8% walk rate, and his 24.2% strikeout rate is hardly out of line with what’s to be expected in the league’s current environment. Kennedy’s biggest flaw as a hitter is that he’s hit for previous little power in the majors, and even at Triple-A he’s never slugged more than 13 homers in a season. That lack of power has held him back from getting an extended big league opportunity to this point, but perhaps now that he’s elected free agency and can be signed by any club on a low-risk minor league deal he’ll be able to find a more robust opportunity on a big league bench somewhere.
Alternatively, players with Kennedy’s substantial success in the minor leagues who haven’t gotten much attention in the majors have often found success trying their hand at playing overseas. Matt Davidson and Guillermo Heredia are two hitters who have found substantial success in the KBO League, and Eric Thames famously made it back to the majors after struggling initially by posting sensational numbers in South Korea. At just 26 years old, Kennedy is certainly young enough to have the opportunity to try his hand at playing in a league overseas and return to affiliated ball if he finds success there.