After being released by the Cincinnati Reds while rehabbing a broken rib last May, Matt Kemp will get one more shot at returning to the big leagues.
Kemp, a three-time all-star, two-time gold glover and two-time silver slugger, has signed a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
The deal includes an invite to the Marlins’ major-league camp in Spring Training, and, according to Nightengale, the team will give him “every chance to crack the opening day roster.”
Miami hasn’t appeared in the post-season since its 2003 World Series Championship run. After cleaning house in the past two seasons as a new ownership group took over, the Marlins have been in intense rebuild mode.
The 35-year-old Kemp has appeared in 14 MLB seasons, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Reds. His second stint with the Dodgers, in 2018, earned him the third all-star selection of his career and a trip to the World Series. The Dodgers traded Kemp to the Reds in the following off-season.
Kemp had just 62 plate appearances over 20 games in 2019 before Cincinnati placed him on IR with a broken left rib on April 23. He had a .200 batting average, with a .493 OPS, one home run and five RBIs in that span. The veteran had a -0.9 WAR when he the Reds, who were aggressive in the off-season but delivered a below-average season, released him on May 4, just four months after trading for him.
Throughout his career, Kemp has a .285 average, .822 OPS, 1010 RBIs and 281 home runs. He was a sixth-round pick by the Dodgers in 2003.
The Marlins finished the 2019 regular season with a 57-105 record, dead last in the NL East.
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