Eight years after he signed an ill-fated contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies, veteran Scott Kingery is expected to take the field for the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, March 26.
Craig Counsell told reporters, including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, that Kingery “will be on the plane with us to Chicago.” There’s a chance the club could change its plan, but for now, it seems as if the infielder will be in the majors to begin the campaign.
The Phillies gave Kingery a six-year, $24 million deal heading into the 2018 season before he had ever played a big-league game. The infielder stumbled to a miserable 61 wRC+ that year. Kingery slashed .229/.280/.387 in five seasons with the team. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for cash in November 2024.
Scott Kingery Earns Spot With the Chicago Cubs After Brutal Tenure With the Philadelphia Phillies
The Kingery extension seemed like a shrewd move at the time. He entered the 2018 season as one of the best hitting prospects in the league. MLB Pipeline had him No. 2 in the Phillies system, behind only right-hander Sixto Sanchez. The top 10 is a fun mix of future major leaguers who had success away from Philadelphia, including J.P. Crawford, Mickey Moniak, Jorge Alfaro, and JoJo Romero. Kingery was ranked No. 35 overall by MLB Pipeline.
Grabbing a young player who seemed like a franchise cornerstone for $4 million per season looked solid in theory. It didn’t play out that way for the Phillies, though. After scuffling in 2018, Kingery delivered his “best” season the following year. He popped 19 home runs and stole 15 bases, but it came with a 29.4% strikeout rate. Kingery managed a 100 wRC+, perfectly league average.
The shortened 2020 season was basically the end for Kingery. He slashed a woeful .159/.228/.283 across 36 games. The infielder would go on to appear in just 16 games with the Phillies over the next four seasons. He was somehow even worse in his brief stint with the Angels, hitting .148 with a 37.9% strikeout rate in 29 plate appearances.
Will Kingery Stick With the Cubs?
The fact that Counsell didn’t come straight out and give Kingery the job suggests his stay with Chicago might be a brief one. Outfielder Seiya Suzuki is working through a knee injury. He’s opening the year on the injured list, but it doesn’t appear to be a significant issue. When Suzuki returns, he’ll likely push Kingery or Dylan Carlson off the roster.
The 31-year-old Kingery’s main contribution at this stage is defensive versatility. He’s played second base, third base, and shortstop at the big-league level. The veteran has also made appearances at all three outfield spots. Chicago doesn’t have any clear gaps to fill, though. Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Suzuki will be regulars in the outfield. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Alex Bregman will be mainstays in the infield.
The path for playing time on this roster is at first base and DH. Michael Busch will be at the cold corner against righties, but it’s unclear if he’ll stay in the lineup against southpaws. Moises Ballesteros is penciled in at designated hitter, though he has limited MLB experience. It’s difficult to see Kingery’s light bat pressing either guy for playing time.
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