Otto Kemp knew there would be an ‘adjustment period,’ but he’s healthy, and the results are starting to follow

LAKELAND, Fla. — Otto Kemp anticipated a slow start to the spring.

After undergoing two procedures over the winter — a bone fragment removed from his left knee and a left shoulder cleanup — the Phillies’ utility player didn’t come in with too many expectations right away. While spring training numbers are always hard to put stock into, he especially did not want to pay too much attention to his stats, at least at first. He entered Monday’s game hitting .200 in 13 games.

“Something I talked about with our team was it is gonna take me a second to get calibrated,” Kemp said. “Because my body’s moving a little bit differently, and I’m healthy now. You get used to playing hurt and your mechanics when you’re doing that. So I knew there would be an adjustment period.”

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One thing that doesn’t change, though, is his mindset in each at-bat. And at this point in the spring, he feels like he’s turned a corner. On Monday, Kemp smacked a three-run home run 455 feet in the Phillies’ 13-6 loss to the Tigers. Earlier in the game, he also hit a ball 95.6 mph off Detroit starter Jack Flaherty, though it resulted in a flyout.

Kemp, who started in left field, also came up with a tough grab on a foul ball on the left field line while sliding. At the Tigers’ spring training home, Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, the foul line is only a few feet away from the fence in left. Kemp managed to make the catch with just enough room to avoid banging his knee into the wall.

“He’s been great,” said manager Rob Thomson. “I mean, even at the start of spring, the at-bats have been good. He’s moving around fine, whatever position we put him at, basically.”

Sunday’s game had especially windy conditions, which affected outfielders on both teams. Justin Crawford lost a ball in the sun in center field and was charged with an error.

But although some spring training environments can be unforgiving for outfielders, Kemp appreciates the challenges as he continues to get more comfortable with the position.

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“I also feel like this is the best experience you could get leading into a season, because Florida has literally all the elements that you’re going to face,” Kemp said. “You get sun balls, you get crazy wind, you get rain. So I think the elements are great in games like this.

“And stuff like this is going to come up throughout the course of the season. So having the ability to get a lot of games in where there’s a lot of weather and there’s a lot of wind, and the ball is moving around, and you may not be able to see it right off the bat, it’s all really good, just because it helps on those ordinary days where it’s calmer, and sunny, and 75. So I feel like that’s been some great exposure.”

Phillies prospect Felix Reyes finished 3-for-4 with a homer and two singles.

Bonner-Prendie graduate Kevin McGonigle smacked a first-pitch, three-run home run for the Tigers in the first inning. McGonigle, a Delco native, is ranked the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball.

Reyes answered back with a three-run shot of his own in the bottom of the frame off Tigers starter Jack Flaherty.

Crawford, Edmundo Sosa, Bryan De La Cruz, and Christian Cairo each collected singles.

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Minor league call-up Chuck King pitched 1⅓ innings and struggled with command. He was charged with 10 earned runs on seven hits and four walks.

Zach Pop pitched a scoreless inning. An unearned run scored on Chase Shugart, who went 1⅓ innings. Zach McCambley pitched ⅔ of an inning, followed by Lou Trivino, who tossed two scoreless. A run scored on Tim Mayza in the eighth on one hit and a walk.

“Every time he swings the bat, it’s on the barrel,” Thomson said of Reyes. “And he doesn’t leave the zone very often; he has really good plate discipline. He can really hit. He’s really strong.”

The Phillies return to Clearwater on Tuesday to face the Minnesota Twins (1:05 p.m., NBCSP+). Jesús Luzardo is scheduled to start.

Orion Kerkering (hamstring) will pitch in a minor league game Tuesday. Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet decompression surgery) will throw an up/down live batting practice session, which will simulate inning breaks, in the range of 35 pitches. … Catcher J.T. Realmuto, who has not appeared in a game since March 10 due to illness, is set to return to the lineup on Tuesday.