The Colorado Rockies have signed veteran outfielder Matt Kemp to a minor league deal, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post confirms.
As @BNightengale first reported, #Rockies have signed Matt Kemp to a minor-league deal. He essentially replaces Ian Desmond on the roster. He would be a DH option for Rox.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) June 30, 2020
The news comes after Ian Desmond announced on Instagram that he would be opting out of the 2020 season.
Kemp appeared in 20 big league games for the Cincinnati Reds last year, after receiving All-Star honors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. The outfielder began his big league tenure with the Dodgers, where he played for nine seasons. He spent time with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves between 2015 and 2017, before returning to LA in 2018. He signed a minors pact with the New York Mets in May 2019 but didn’t appear for them and was released in July. He then signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins in December 2019 with an invite to spring training.
It is advantageous for the Rockies to have Kemp on their side rather than as a member of the opposition. In 178 career games against the Rox, Kemp has batted .314/.365/.611, with 46 home runs and 154 runs batted in.
If he makes the major league roster, the Rockies will be the fourth team Kemp has played for in as many years.