Kody Clemens has made the Phillies’ Opening Day roster and will head north with the club when spring camp breaks.

The utility man was chosen as the team’s final bench player over Buddy Kennedy, as reported by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com on Monday morning.

Clemens didn’t arrive at camp as a favorite for a bench job. Weston Wilson was the favorite to be the Phillies’ fourth and final bench player. But an oblique injury suffered early in camp set Wilson back. It opened up a competition. In the end, Clemens beat everyone else out.

Clemens enters Monday hitting .308 in Grapefruit League play with a .857 OPS. He can play every infield position but shortstop. He can play corner outfield, too. His defensive versatility is a pro. His main con is that he’s a left-handed hitter, of which the Phillies have plenty.

Clemens, acquired by the Phillies before the 2023 season, has had success in the majors during his time in the organization. Last season, coming off the bench, he hit five home runs and posted a .706 OPS in 120 plate appearances.

Clemens’ main competition over the last week was the local product Kennedy, a right-handed hitter with plenty of infield experience but less time in the outfield than Clemens. Kennedy is out of options. The Phillies will look to trade him, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Zolecki and Matt Gelb of The Athletic. If a trade can’t come together by Thursday, Kennedy will be designated for assignment.

Clemens joins Rafael Marchan, Johan Rojas and Edmundo Sosa on the Phillies’ bench to start the season.