UNC Baseball: Kent Emanuel is Philadelphia bound

After being out-righted off the Houston Astros roster, former UNC baseball standout Kent Emanuel has found a new home.

Prior to the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, Major League Baseball teams are forced to make some very difficult decisions. In order to protect some of their best young talents, some roster moves have to be made to clear spots on the team’s 40-man roster. Although this former UNC baseball standout was, unfortunately, a casualty of his team’s roster crunch, a new opportunity has quickly come about.

On November 19, the Houston Astros out-righted Kent Emanuel off their 40-man roster. A club attempting to remove a player from the 40-man roster and send him to the minor leagues must first place that player on what is called outright waivers, allowing the 29 other Major League Baseball clubs the opportunity to claim him. In this case, the Astros were trying to clear him through waivers to assign him to their minor league camp, but an NL East team had other plans.

Emanuel did not make it through the waiver process, as the Philadelphia Phillies claimed the 29-year-old left-handed pitcher. The former Tar Heel now will be placed on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, as they are responsible for the remaining money that is owed to him.

After making his big league debut in 2021, things appeared to be going right for Emanuel. He made 10 appearances for the Astros, posting a 2.55 ERA over 17.2 innings of work.

Unfortunately, Emanuel suffered a season-ending elbow injury on May 25, one that could’ve played a factor in the Astros’ decision to outright him off their roster. Emanuel had Tommy John surgery back in 2015, so elbow issues have been a concern for him over the course of his professional career.

Although the situation may have not ended the way Emanuel envisioned, he recently posted on Twitter to thank the city of Houston for his time with the Astros organization:

As of now, it appears as if Emanuel will be fully healed in time for spring training. Following Emanuel’s journey back to the big league mound will be an interesting storyline once Phillies spring training gets underway in a few months.

Continue following the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding Kent Emanuel and the rest of the UNC baseball program.