PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Scott Kingery was once a highly touted prospect who left Phillies fans craving more after his performance in the minor leagues and spring training appearances.
Now — just over three years after signing his contract — he's no longer on the 40-man roster.
After the Phillies removed 27-year-old Kingery from the injured list (he had a concussion), they outrighted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Back in 2018, Phillies brass — at the time with Matt Klentak as general manager and Gabe Kapler as manager — rewarded Kingery with a six-year, $24 million contract before he played a single second of big league ball. Kingery had played more than well enough to make the team out of spring training in 2018, rather than going the traditional route of playing through pre-arbitration seasons, then arbitration-eligible season before it was time for a big contract.
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César Hernandez was still the Phils' second baseman, so Kingery did not regularly play his natural position at his debut. He played all over the field, and his rookie numbers never reflected his minor-league hype.
Kingery was better in 2019 — but not great. And by 2020, Hernandez was let go, thus opening up the possibility for Kingery to grab a regular role. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, the season was delayed, and Kingery eventually got COVID-19. He hit .159 in 2020 with a .228 on-base percentage and .283 slugging percentage.
He didn't make the club out of spring training this year because the Phils wanted him to work on his swing. He was called up for duty when injuries hit — and was one-for-19 in 15 games with a .053 average and 12 strike outs.
Now, he's back in the minor leagues to work on his struggles.
Back in March, Manager Joe Girardi said he thinks Kingery can be an All-Star if he figures things out.
For that far-off accomplishment to happen, he'll need to work his way back onto the 40-man — a list that he seemed etched into just over three years ago when he got his first significant major league contract.
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