Former Tiger Kody Clemens Is Making Detroit Regret Trading Him

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 21: Kody Clemens #18 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after hitting a walk off RBI double in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game one of a doubleheader at Target Field on May 21, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Detroit Tigers are in action on Wednesday afternoon against the visiting divisional rival Minnesota Twins, who took their series opener on Tuesday evening by a 3-2 final score.

The Tigers, who sunk to 66-79, have all but officially fallen out of the MLB postseason race, while the Twins are desperately trying to keep their season alive, 6.5 games out of first place in the division.

And it’s a former member of the Tigers who is doing his best to make life difficult for the club he once suited up for.

Former Detroit Tigers Utility Man Kody Clemens Has Hit Four Home Runs Against The Tigers

So far in their recent series against the Twins, the Tigers were reminded of some of the power at the plate that former utility man Kody Clemens has.

Clemens went yard against the Tigers during Tuesday’s game, and did so again on Wednesday, picking up his team-leading 26th home run of the campaign.

Following yesterday’s game, he explained what he saw from his point of view staring down Detroit pitcher Drew Anderson.

“I was on fastball,” Clemens said postgame, via Twins TV on MLB.com. “I was trying to get him up, and I got a good one up in the zone, and thankfully got a good swing off.”

“We haven’t had that great of a month,” Clemens said. “Coming off of that, for the bullpen to clutch up and basically not let up any runs, it was great.”

Kody Clemens Began His MLB Career With The Tigers

Clemens was taken by the Tigers in the third round (79th overall pick) of the 2018 MLB Draft, and he quickly climbed through their minor-league system. After losing the 2020 minor-league season to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clemens returned to the Triple-A affiliate Toledo Mud Hens  in 2021 and earned his first major-league opportunity with Detroit the following year. Clemens made his MLB debut in 2022, recording his first hit, home run and grand slam during his rookie season.

The Tigers then traded Clemens along with Gregory Soto to the Philadelphia Phillies in January 2023 as part of the deal that brought Matt Vierling and Nick Maton to Detroit

After spending much of his Phillies tenure in the minors, Clemens joined the Twins in April 2025.