Otto Kemp is accustomed to playing through pain. <\/p>\n
In college, he played the Division II national championship game with a broken hand<\/a> \u2014 and went 4-for-4. He also has a habit of getting hit by pitches, 26 total last year, including four in a single game<\/a> in triple A to set a Lehigh Valley record. <\/p>\n But even so, Kemp is hoping for a healthier 2026 with the Phillies<\/a>. He underwent two procedures this winter to address injuries he\u2019d been grinding through last year: a bone fragment removed from his left knee and what he described as a \u201cshoulder cleanup.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Believe it or not, Aidan Miller and the Dodgers are more connected than one might think<\/a><\/p>\n Kemp had been playing with the bone fragment since June, but only missed a single game. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just so tough. He really is,\u201d said manager Rob Thomson<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s just one of those guys that can put all that pain and little dings behind them, and forget about it, and go out and play. Some guys are like that, and he\u2019s one of them. He\u2019s a phenomenal kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Kemp expects to be fully ready for spring training. The Phillies\u2019 first full-squad workout is set for Feb. 16 in Clearwater, Fla. <\/p>\n And it figures to be a big spring training for the 26-year-old. Over the offseason, Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski<\/a> both emphasized the importance of injecting youth into the Phillies roster in 2026. The Phillies had the second-oldest lineup in baseball last year, with an average age of 30.3 years old.<\/p>\n One name that keeps cropping up? Kemp. <\/p>\n \u201cWe like a lot of things about him,\u201d Dombrowski said. \u201cHe\u2019s a good hitter, and the ball jumps off his bat. He\u2019s a threat when he comes to the plate. … He\u2019s a tough son of a gun. He\u2019s a championship-type player. I mean, what he played through last year, injury-wise, I don\u2019t think that there\u2019s many people that would have done that.\u201d<\/p>\n Kemp will likely have an opportunity in left field as a right-handed platoon partner for Brandon Marsh<\/a>. He came up through the Phillies\u2019 system as an infielder but played 63 major league innings last season in left field, logging significant time working with coach Paco Figueroa. Kemp recorded plus-1 defensive runs saved in the outfield in 2025. <\/p>\n But he also acknowledged that he still has a lot to learn about the position.<\/p>\n