The Philadelphia Phillies have been off to a rocky start to the 2026 season, and for a team with championship aspirations, changes needed to be made.
One such change, announced on Saturday, April 18th, was the decision to promote 25-year-old outfielder Felix Reyes from Triple-A. The corresponding move was the Phillies’ decision to send Otto Kemp back to the minor leagues.
Reyes is listed on Baseball Reference as a right fielder, first baseman, and third baseman. Throughout six seasons of minor league baseball, he’s started 129 games at first base, 67 games at third base, 58 in right field, 45 in left field, and one in center field, while also getting five starts at DH.
In the big leagues, Reyes is blocked at all four of his positions. Bryce Harper is manning first base, Alec Bohm is handling duties at the hot corner, Brandon Marsh is patrolling left field, and Adolis Garcia is the starter in right field.
Reyes will instead join veterans Dylan Moore and Edmundo Sosa on the Phillies’ bench. Moore and Sosa are primarily infielders, and if anything were to happen to Bohm, it’s likely one of them would take over third base. Reyes will likely find playing time as a corner outfielder, and could become Harper’s primary backup at first base.
Reyes Has Been Mashing At Triple-A
Felix Reyes is not a top-30 prospect in Philadelphia’s system, and his call-up is not because of potential but rather due to his production in Triple-A.
In 18 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Reyes is slashing .333/.345/.654, for a 1.000 OPS. He’s hit eight doubles and six home runs, with 15 RBI.
His strong start to the season continues the growth he showed in 2024. Last season, Reyes spent 95 games in Double-A, where he displayed an eniticing combination of power and speed. He crushed 15 home runs, while also cruising to 34 doubles, four triples, and 13 stolen bases. He hit .335 in Double-A with a .937 OPS. He followed that up with a strong performance for the Toros in the Dominican Winter League, with whom he appeared in 25 games and finished with a .759 OPS.
Otto Kemp Will Attempt to Hit the Reset Button in Triple-A
Otto Kemp debuted with the Phillies in 2025, appearing in 62 games and putting together a .234/.298/.411 slash line. His 91 OPS+ placed him slightly below a league-average hitter, and his -0.2 bWAR was in line with a replacement-level player.
Kemp did display solid power, hitting eight home runs and 11 doubles. He had a 12.1% barrell rate, 44.7% hard-hit rate, and 38.6% sweet-spot rate. All those metrics would have ranked in the top half of the league had Kemp qualified for Statcast leaderboards.
However, in 2026, Kemp’s numbers have taken a nosedive. In just ten games, he’s been worth -0.6 bWAR. In 22 plate appearances, Kemp has managed two singles and a walk. He’s yet to score a run or drive a run in, and has a -20 OPS+.
Those numbers clearly did not impress the Phillies organization, who’ve made the decision to replace their 26-year-old utilityman Kemp with Reyes.
Like Reyes, Kemp has found a lot of success in Lehigh Valley, where he finished 2025 with a .570 slugging percentage and a .987 OPS across 74 games. If Kemp produces like that again, he could find himself back in Philadelphia again.
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