Kody Clemens Bio
Kody Alec Clemens (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. Clemens is the son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.
A versatile defender who has also taken the mound in games, Clemens bats and throws from the left side. He has built his career as a depth piece capable of playing multiple positions, including first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield. He currently wears uniform number 2 for the Minnesota Twins.
Early Life and Background
Kody Alec Clemens was born on May 15, 1996, and raised in Houston, Texas. He grew up around the game of baseball as the son of Roger Clemens, one of the most decorated pitchers in MLB history and a seven-time Cy Young Award winner. That family connection gave Kody a front-row view of professional baseball from a young age and shaped his approach to the sport.
Clemens attended Memorial High School in Houston, where he played for the school’s baseball team. During his senior season, he batted .553, a remarkable average that highlighted his power-hitting potential. He was named a first-team all-district selection in 2013 and earned Perfect Game Honorable Mention recognition for high school in both 2013 and 2014.
Path to Professional Baseball
Following high school, Clemens committed to the University of Texas at Austin to play college baseball for the Texas Longhorns. As a freshman in 2016, he batted .242 with five home runs. His sophomore season in 2017 was interrupted by Tommy John surgery, but he returned to the lineup as a designated hitter and continued to develop his offensive game.
Clemens broke out during his junior year, batting .352 with 23 home runs and earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors. On June 7, 2018, he was named a finalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, two of the most prestigious individual honors in amateur baseball. That summer, the Detroit Tigers selected him in the third round with the 79th overall pick of the 2018 MLB draft, and he signed for a $600,000 bonus.
Kody Clemens Career
Early Career (2018-2021)
Clemens made his professional debut with the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Single-A Midwest League after signing with the Tigers in 2018. He was promoted to the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the High-A Florida State League in August of that year. Across 52 games between the two clubs, he slashed .288/.365/.450 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
In 2019, Clemens returned to Lakeland before finishing the year with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. Over 128 games, he batted .231/.310/.397 with 12 home runs and 63 RBIs. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so Clemens joined Team Texas of the Constellation Energy League, an independent four-team circuit, and was named his team’s MVP. He spent 2021 with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, hitting .247/.312/.466 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI in 97 games, and was added to the Tigers’ 40-man roster on November 19, 2021, to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Detroit Tigers (2022)
The Tigers promoted Clemens to the major leagues on May 30, 2022, when Robbie Grossman was placed on the injured list. On June 13, he recorded his first major league hit, a single off Chicago White Sox starter Lance Lynn. Two days later, Clemens made an unexpected major league pitching debut, soft-tossing on orders of manager A. J. Hinch in a lopsided game, and gave up one run in a single inning.
On June 25, 2022, Clemens hit his first major league home run, a three-run go-ahead shot off Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Joe Mantiply that helped Detroit win 6-3. On September 5, he pitched again in a blowout loss and recorded the first MLB strikeout of his pitching career against 2021 American League MVP Shohei Ohtani. He closed his Tigers career with his first career grand slam on October 4, 2022, off Seattle Mariners starter Justus Sheffield. After the season, Detroit traded him to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Phillies (2023-2025)
On January 7, 2023, the Tigers traded Clemens and pitcher Gregory Soto to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Matt Vierling, infielder Nick Maton, and catcher Donny Sands. He began 2023 with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs before being recalled on April 7. In 47 games with the Phillies that year, he hit .230 with four home runs and 13 RBI before being sent back to Triple-A on July 2, where he remained for the rest of the season.
Clemens was optioned to Lehigh Valley to start 2024 as well, but was briefly recalled for three games during Bryce Harper’s paternity leave. On May 18, 2024, he hit a game-tying two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals, helping Philadelphia win 4-3. He made the Phillies’ 2025 Opening Day roster, going 0-for-6 with a walk in seven games before being designated for assignment on April 23, 2025.
Minnesota Twins (2025-Present)
On April 26, 2025, the Phillies traded Clemens to the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. The move brought him to an American League club where he could again play a versatile role. He joined a Twins roster looking for left-handed thump and infield depth, and he was presented with a fresh opportunity to establish himself as an everyday contributor.
Clemens made an immediate impression, homering in his first career game at Fenway Park, the Boston stadium his father Roger called home for 13 seasons, on May 3, 2025. On May 19, he delivered a walk-off double to beat the Cleveland Guardians. He capped a strong first stretch in Minnesota with a three-home-run game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 12, 2025.
Notable Events and Milestones
Clemens’s first career grand slam off Justus Sheffield on October 4, 2022, stands as one of his signature moments in Detroit. His three-homer game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 12, 2025, marked a clear arrival in a Twins uniform and established him as a power threat in the middle of their lineup.
Kody Clemens Career Stats
Through his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Minnesota Twins, Kody Alec Clemens has produced a versatile resume as a utility player. He has also contributed on the mound in blowout situations, showing the kind of all-around baseball IQ often seen in multi-positional players.
MLB Statistics (Through 2026)
Across his major league career through the 2026 season, Clemens has been used primarily as a left-handed bat who can play multiple positions. He has appeared at first base, second base, third base, and in the outfield, while also being used as a pitcher in low-leverage relief spots during blowouts.
Kody Clemens Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Clemens is the son of Roger Clemens, the Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher who won seven Cy Young Awards across his MLB career. Growing up in a household led by one of the game’s most competitive competitors gave Kody an unusually deep understanding of professional pitching and preparation.
Personal Life
Clemens has three brothers: Koby, Kory, and Kacy. Koby Clemens also played baseball professionally. All four brothers share first names beginning with the letter “K,” a family nod to baseball scorekeeping, where “K” denotes a strikeout.
2025 Season Performance
Kody Alec Clemens entered the 2025 season as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, where he beat out Buddy Kennedy for the final Opening Day roster spot originally earmarked for Weston Wilson. In seven games with Philadelphia, he went 0-for-6 with a walk before being designated for assignment on April 23, 2025.
After being traded to the Minnesota Twins on April 26, 2025, Clemens quickly became a productive left-handed bat in a new home. He homered in his first career game at Fenway Park on May 3, delivered a walk-off double against the Cleveland Guardians on May 19, and slugged three home runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 12. His power surge down the stretch gave Minnesota a versatile run-producer as the team pushed toward the postseason.
Looking ahead, Clemens appears firmly in the Twins’ plans as a left-handed utility player capable of filling in at multiple positions. His 2025 second half, including the three-homer performance, suggested a player who had finally settled into a major league role and was ready to build on that momentum heading into the following campaign.
