Sep 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (18) reacts towards the dugout after hitting a double during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA - Kody Clemens knew very early in spring training that he wasn't long for the Phillies organization.
He was getting mixed messages from different corners of the organization, but he knew, deep down, that his best chance at major league success would be elsewhere.
"I've learned the business of baseball more than anybody, it seems like," Clemens said upon his return to Citizens Bank Park for the final series of the season against the Phillies. "So I wasn't dumb to the aspect that I didn't fit in the roster construction just because I was a left-handed-hitting bat, or whatever.
"I think it's just more the communication through organizations where there are certain people you can talk to that will give you the God's honest truth and then there are other people that will beat around the bush and not want to give you the news that you know you expect to be coming. It just depends on what people in the organization want to give you. ... I knew I wasn't going to fit. All right. 'Are you guys going to give me the opportunity...' in my head I was like, 'Are you guys going to give me the opportunity to go elsewhere?"
Clemens said he was doing the math himself and he knew it wasn't a good fit any longer. He knew they would hold on to him for a bit because of an oblique injury suffered by Weston Wilson during spring training, but he also knew that even though he was going to be on the roster that he wasn't going to get a chance to play.
He sat on the Phillies roster for an entire month. He got seven plate appearances in the first month of the season, but he was basically just an extra guy.
"It was frustrating, for sure," Clemens said. "But at the same time, I loved being with the Phillies. I loved the organization. I loved playing in front of this crowd every night. It's a different atmosphere than you would normally get anywhere else.
"It was a winning team. That's all I really cared about. I care about winning. Whether I'm sitting my ass on the bench or not, that's just how I felt. Obviously I wanted to play, but it's a pretty tough roster to crack."
Enter the Minnesota Twins.
They acquired him in a cash deal from the Phillies on April 26.
Since then, Clemens has been a regular in the Minnesota lineup. In 109 games with the Twins, he is slashing .218/.288/.445 for a .733 OPS. He has 19 homers and 52 RBIs.
Kody Clemens stats since being traded to the Minnesota Twins:
330 AB | 72 H | 12 2B | 19 HR | 52 RBI | 28 BB | 87 K | .218/.288/.445pic.twitter.com/i1FSxeAInh
"I love it, he's had a really good year," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said when asked about Clemens' success with the Twins. "He's had an opportunity to play and he's made the most of it. Kody's a pro. He's a really good guy. A really good team guy. It was frustrating for him here because he wasn't getting a whole lot of playing time, but he just went about his business. I'm really happy for him.
Clemens has three games left to hit home run No. 20. He said it's a goal of his and ironically, it can come as a visitor at Citizens Bank Park.
"I would never thought I would be in this spot," Clemens said. "I'm just excited. I want to get to 20. It doesn't matter if it's here or where it would be. I just want to get it done just to say I did it. It wouldn't be a sweeter feeling against the Phillies. I had a lot of great relationships with everybody in the organization. The staff. The players. I still do. So it's not like (I want to) put it to the Phillies."
Big fan of the Kody Clemens double bat flip on the HR pic.twitter.com/KnxP0WwHyb
But it would be storybook for Clemens, for sure, who has had a nice breakout for the Twins, who have him under team control for four more years, so there is some runway for Clemens to be part of something in Minnesota, especially after they completely dismantled their team at the trade deadline.
The Phillies, of course, were part of that, acquiring both Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader in separate trades at the deadline.
"When all the trade stuff was happening, I knew there were talks with the Phillies and the Twins so I was trying to figure out myself who was going to be traded over here," Clemens said.
It was Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait for Duran and Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria for Bader.
Maybe Clemens has a future as a GM.
"If you ask around the league, people play G.M. all the time in these clubhouses," he said. "I like fantasy football. This seems like the same thing but for real."
