Otto Kemp has a 2025 to remember. The Philadelphia Phillies’ rookie infielder made his MLB debut last weekend in a true underdog story. MLB Pipeline’s 24th-ranked prospect in the Phillies’ system made it to the majors after signing as an undrafted free agency in 2022.
Kemp’s blistering offensive performance at Triple-A Lehigh Valley put the club in a difficult situation, which was rectified when Bryce Harper was injured, albeit Harper’s comeback may mean Kemp’s departure from the team.
Otto Kemp will play mostly first base for the Phillies until Bryce Harper returns from the IL
Only a few days after returning to the Phillies’ lineup after getting hit on the elbow by Spencer Strider, Harper was placed on the disabled list with a right wrist injury, allowing Kemp to join the major league club. In Harper’s absence, Alec Bohm started the majority of games at first base before Kemp started the series finale against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that this will be the expectation moving forward.
Harper’s condition is problematic for the Phillies for several reasons. Of all, he’s a superstar and the franchise’s leader, so the team suffers without him, as proven by their 3-8 record this season without Harper. Even worse, this is the same wrist that affected Harper for the majority of last season, and there’s now no timetable for his recovery in what has become a difficult situation for the Phillies.
Kemp has only played 18 games at first base in the minors, compared to 212 at third. It makes sense for Kemp to be at least the backup first baseman behind Bohm, but it’s interesting that Rob Thomson and company are sticking with Kemp as the top option at first. Prior to Kemp’s debut in Philadelphia, Weston Wilson served as the backup first baseman, which was less than ideal offensively and defensively.
Kemp must demonstrate his MLB-worthy bat in order to remain in the major leagues. It’s ridiculous to expect Kemp to recreate his Triple-A slashline of.313/.416/.594, and he just needs to outperform Wilson. It shouldn’t be difficult, given Wilson’s.171/.293/.257 batting line and below-average defense in left field, where Kemp began playing briefly at Lehigh Valley in preparation for the majors.