PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Phillies got the veteran hitter they wanted.
Howie Kendrick was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday for first baseman Darin Ruf and utilityman Darnell Sweeney.
”Howie Kendrick brings a proven, veteran presence to our young lineup,” general manager Matt Klentak said. ”He is a hard worker, a great teammate and a true professional hitter. In addition, Howie’s defensive versatility provides significant flexibility to our roster, which should prove to be valuable to our club in 2017.”
A 2011 AL All-Star, Kendrick hit .255 with 26 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBIs, a team-leading 10 stolen bases and a .326 on-base percentage for the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 33-year-old Kendrick made 123 starts – 79 in left field, 23 at second base, 14 at third base and seven at first base – and made only five errors.
Kendrick is a career .289 hitter with 95 homers, 595 RBIs, 111 stolen bases and a .332 on-base percentage. He is signed to a deal that pays him $10 million next year in the final season of his contract.
Kendrick will likely begin the season as the starting left fielder.
Ruf hit .205 with three home runs and nine RBIs last season. The 30-year-old has a .240 batting average with 35 homers in his career. Ruf never played to his potential after hitting 38 homers at Double-A Reading in 2012 and three more for the Phillies in a brief September call-up that season.
Sweeney spent the entire season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He hit .233 with six homers, 35 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Sweeney played second base, third base, shortstop and center field for the Iron Pigs.
The Phillies got Sweeney from the Dodgers in a trade for Chase Utley in August 2015.
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