Orioles

Orioles sign veteran utilityman Tony Kemp to major league contract; Maton designated for assignment

The Orioles signed veteran utilityman Tony Kemp to a major league contract on Tuesday. Kemp, who was released by Cincinnati on March 19th, has hit .238 in eight seasons with Houston, the Chicago Cubs and Oakland.

A 32-year-old left-handed hitter, Kemp has played mostly left field and second base, though he’s also played some center field.

In 2023, Kemp hit .209 with five home runs and 27 RBIs. He stole a career-high 15 bases in 19 attempts. Last season, he walked four more times than he struck out (44/40).

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Kemp hit .333 (7-for-21) with a home run and five RBIs in eight Cactus League games with the Reds this spring.

To make room for Kemp on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated infielder/outfielder Nick Maton for assignment. Maton was hitless in 23 at-bats this spring.

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Rich Dubroff

Rich Dubroff grew up in Brooklyn as a fan of New York teams, but after he moved to Baltimore, quickly adopted the Orioles and Colts. After nearly two decades as a freelancer assisting on Orioles coverage for several outlets, principally The Capital in Annapolis and The Carroll County Times, Dubroff began covering the team fulltime in 2011. He spent five years at Comcast SportsNet’s website and for the last two seasons, wrote for PressBoxonline.com, Dubroff lives in Baltimore with his wife of more than 30 years, Susan.

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