COLORADO—Former Dodger outfielder, Matt Kemp, 35, was signed by the Colorado Rockies, one of the Dodgers’ NL West rivals, on Tuesday, June 30.
The Rockies signed the veteran all-star to a minor league deal, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today via a Twitter post. After he returned to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2018 season for a second time, Kemp was part of a shocking trade that involved him, starting pitcher Alex Wood, rookie Kyle Farmer, and outfielder Yasiel Puig to the Cincinnati Reds in December 2018.
Kemp played for the Reds for only a short time before he was released by the team, and later bounced around between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins, both as minor league deals.
It was recently discovered that the Rockies’ right-handed-hitting veteran Ian Desmond would opt out of the 2020 season, leaving a potential roster spot that Kemp could fill.
Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in 2003 and made his Major League debut in 2006. He was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2014, and later to the Atlanta Braves in 2016. His current batting average is .285, with a total of 281 home runs, 1,010 runs batted in, and 183 stolen bases.
