Twins acquire versatile infielder Kody Clemens from Phillies

The Minnesota Twins announced on Saturday they've acquired infielder Kody Clemens from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations. Luke Keaschall was placed on the 10-day injured list to make room for him on the 26-man roster.

Clemens, 28, played seven games with the Phillies this season before being designated for release or assignment on Wednesday, going 0 for 6 while drawing a walk. He's an additional left-handed bat for the Twins lineup, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted his versatility on defense and said they'll have the ability to move him around the infield and outfield.

"We actually have him as a good second baseman defensively, a guy that can play first base pretty easily," Baldelli said ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "He's played a decent amount of first base and can also help us, if needed, at third or in the corners on the outfield, so we can really move him around the field and ask him to do a lot of things. I've seen him do that before with other clubs, but that's the way that I see us using him right now."

Clemens is in his fourth season in the majors, spending the past two seasons with the Phillies and 2022 with the Detroit Tigers. He's played 153 career games, slashing .197/.367/.611 with 20 doubles, a triple, 14 homers and 48 RBIs. He also brings playoff experience. Last postseason with the Phillies, he went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI in four games.

Baldelli learned about the acquisition after Friday night's game. He said he wasn't sure whether it was in response to Keaschall suffering a broken forearm during the game or whether the trade was already in the works. But either way, Baldelli said he welcomes adding a player like Clemens to the clubhouse, particularly as the team battles injuries.

"We're dealing with a lot with a lot of different injuries and different things right now, so being able to grab a good, versatile big leaguer I think was a no-brainer for us where we're sitting right now," he said. "And that makes enough sense for me."

Clemens made it to Minneapolis and was in the Twins clubhouse ahead of Saturday's game. Baldelli wasn't sure whether Clemens would arrive in Minneapolis in time for the game when he talked to reporters pregame.

"I gotta go meet him," Baldelli said.