What Otto Kemp's Spring Usage Says About His 2026 Role

Otto Kemp made his eighth start of the spring on Friday, taking the one-hour bus ride from Clearwater to Bradenton as the Phillies faced the Pirates.

Second on the team to Justin Crawford in Grapefruit League plate appearances entering the day, Kemp has spent the bulk of his time this spring in left field. He's started there in six of the eight games he's played, with the other two coming at second base and designated hitter.

This sure seems to be Kemp's primary path to playing time in 2026 — the right-handed-hitting platoon partner of leftfielder Brandon Marsh.

Acclimating to the position

Kemp played only 63 innings in left field as a rookie last season, appearing there in 11 games and starting seven. He may exceed those totals this spring.

In three of the seven starts, Kemp was lifted late for a defensive replacement. He may still be removed for a defensive replacement this season, but the Phillies are committed to getting him to a comfortable spot out there.

Kemp had never played left field before starting one game there in the 2024 Arizona Fall League. It hasn't been perfect for him so far in spring training but he's made steady progress at the position.

"He's getting really good jumps off the ball and really good reads," manager Rob Thomson said last week. "He's a worker. He's going to get better and better."

Opposite-handed pitching

Left field could end up being a strict platoon between Marsh and Kemp, Thomson said in January. Kemp was much more powerful and selective as a rookie last season against lefties (.324 on-base percentage, .462 slugging percentage) than he was with righties (.285 OBP, .386 SLG).

Kemp also had a .424 OBP against lefties in 245 plate appearances at Triple A and Double A in his final two minor-league seasons.

"I think it's just getting an overall comfort, just knowing that every place you play at, the dimensions are different, the environment's different," Kemp told reporters a few weeks before pitchers and catchers reported.

"So just kind've learning how to play through the elements and learning what I need to take away from any ballpark that we're at and how the ball bounces off the wall, what the dimensions are like. Just learning the overall feel in the outfield is just going to be the biggest part moving forward."

On paper, the platoon should work. Marsh has been a well-above-average performer against righties (.797 OPS) while hitting just .195 the last two seasons against lefties and .213 for his career. And even if Marsh is forced to sit against a left-handed starter, he could still find himself entering a game in the sixth or seventh inning to pinch-hit once that starter is out of the game and remain as a defensive replacement. He is still the team's best defensive leftfielder.

The Phillies took things easy with Marsh for over a week in camp as he dealt with hand inflammation from sliding practice, but he has played twice since Tuesday, going 2-for-6 with a pair of singles against the Rays and Red Sox.