Infielder Buddy Kennedy elects free agency after DFA'd by Dodgers
Infielder Buddy Kennedy elected free agency after being outrighted by the Dodgers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week when Enrique Hernandez returned from injury.
Los Angeles claimed Kennedy off waivers from Toronto two weeks ago. That coincided with an IL placement for Max Muncy. He joined Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Hernandez on the shelf. Kennedy provided an extra infielder alongside Miguel Rojas and rookie Alex Freeland between second and third base. He went 1-17 over seven games.
A former fifth-round pick of the Diamondbacks, Kennedy has played sporadically in parts of four big league seasons. He’s a .178/.271/.274 hitter in 181 career plate appearances. The 26-year-old has split time in Triple-A this year between the Philadelphia and Toronto systems. He has turned in a solid .268/.372/.408 showing in 77 combined games.
Kennedy will look for a minor league deal elsewhere. He’d need to be in another organization by Sept. 1 to be eligible for a postseason roster. He’d be a long shot to get a playoff roster spot either way, of course, but it stands to reason a signing team would prefer that flexibility if they’re adding him as upper minors infield depth.
Notable Absence from Miami Dolphins’ Team Captains
In his first three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver Tyreek Hill was a team captain. Now? He’s not.
The Dolphins named their team captains for the 2025 season and they are quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, fullback Alex Ingold, edge rusher Bradley Chubb, center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Back in May, Hill said that he didn’t deserve to be a team captain and that he needed to regain the trust of his teammates.
“I’ve got to prove myself,” Hill said then. “This OTAs, training camp, I’ve got to prove myself. I’ve got to show up different. The mindset has got to be different. I don’t feel like I deserve it, and if I didn’t get it, I wouldn’t dwell on it. I wouldn’t sweat it because I put myself in that position.”
Tyreek Hill talked his way out of the captaincy back in January
Following the team’s season-ending loss to the New York Jets in January, Hill made some real un-captain-esque comments to reporters. A team leader would have taken responsibility and emphasized hard work and focus moving forward into the offseason.
Hill decided to go in a different direction.
“This is my first time I haven’t been in the playoffs,” Hill told reporters. “I just gotta do what’s best for me and my family. If that’s here or wherever the case may be, I’m finna open that door for myself. I’m opening the door. I’m out, bro.
“It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, bro, I got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
Remember that time he said he had to prove himself again to his teammates? This is what he was referring to. So, based on his previous comments, Hill himself is not surprised that he wasn’t named a team captain.
Tyreek Hill even criticized De’Von Achane because of course he did
Yes, Hill was asked about his opinion on the Dolphins’ short-yardage struggles in early August and he answered. But, he needs to do a better job of navigating these things. He’s 31-years old and should know better than to get baited by a reporter. And not for nothing, what insight would a short, outside speed demon provide regarding 3rd-and-1 situations?
“Take De‘Von [Achane] out on third down — what?” Hill said. “That’s my honest opinion. If it’s third-and-short, he’s not a power back. I keep telling him that in the locker room, but he swears he’s a power back. I love De’Von, but if I’m being honest like that’s why you got Jaylen Wright, that’s why you got Ollie Gordon II, for those kind of situations.”
When head coach Mike McDaniel was informed of these comments, he surely didn’t have some private, table-flipping meltdown. But, he was most likely in the ‘I really don’t want to deal with this nonsense again’ camp.
“I thought it was genius reporting by Tyreek, seeing how we had a short-yardage period that very day that you guys were in attendance for, and his suggestion was I guess congruent with [running backs coach Eric] Studesville — that’s exactly how we repped the backs in that short-yardage period that very day,” McDaniel said. “But we thought it was funny that he reported the news that wasn’t news on that practice day in that short-yardage period that you guys were all there, too, for.”
These are absolutely the kinds of things that flashed through his head when picking team captains. Tyreek was most likely crossed off the list of potential captains further back than any of us know.
