The Atlanta Braves have rebounded from a tough start to win six of their past seven games after Friday’s 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The stretch has helped the Braves get back into the National League East division race as they sit 6.5 games behind the New York Mets for first place.
There’s still plenty of time left and the Braves are still sitting in last place. But with Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. up their sleeve as they recover from injury, Atlanta will be looking to capitalize on their rivals' misfortune to live up to their preseason expectations.
One of those events came on Friday night as a division rival made a trade with an American League bottomfeeder to clean out their roster and eliminate some of their depth that they had at the beginning of the season.
Phillies Trade Kody Clemens to Twins
The Philadelphia Phillies traded infielder Kody Clemens to the Twins on Friday night. The Phillies will receive cash considerations in the trade, which was initially reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and made official by the teams on Friday night.
The Phillies have traded INF Kody Clemens to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for cash considerations.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 26, 2025
The Twins made the deal after top prospect Luke Keaschall went on the injured list with a broken forearm after getting hit by a pitch in Minnesota’s win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. But it also takes Clemens out of Philadelphia days after he was designated for assignment.
Clemens spent over two seasons in Philadelphia but bounced back and forth between the major and minor leagues. A career .197/.244/.367 hitter with 14 home runs and 48 RBI over four major league seasons, the 29-year-old made the Opening Day roster but was hitless in his first seven plate appearances. With Weston Wilson re-joining the team after a Spring Training injury knocked him out for the first month of the season, Clemens became expendable and cleared up a spot in the infield.
The move doesn’t have seismic implications for the Braves, but it’s a notable development in the NL East race. If the Braves can continue playing well, they can fight their way back into the hunt and potentially set up a showdown with the Phillies when they meet again on May 27.