Phillies prospect Scott Kingery may not be far from majors

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Scott Kingery used his four weeks of major-league spring training to show that he might not be too far from reaching the majors.

The second baseman had six hits in 21 spring at-bats. He homered twice and made a few flashy plays in the field. Kingery, who will likely start the season at double-A Reading, was reassigned to minor-league camp after a 6-5 win Sunday over Boston.

The Phillies also reassigned first baseman Rhys Hoskins, catcher Chace Numata, and outfielder Andrew Pullin. Hoskins, who homered twice this spring, will start the season at triple A. Numata and Pullin might be at Reading with Kingery.

"Just being here in big-league camp was an honor," said Kingery, who will turn 23 in April. "For me, being able to do some stuff and open some eyes, that gives me confidence. I still have stuff to improve on, but hopefully, sometime soon, I can be back up here."

The Phillies drafted Kingery out of Arizona in the second round in 2015. They said then that he had the potential to be a quick mover through the system. He was an advanced hitter in college and a solid defender. His time in camp was a validation. He batted .293 last season with 29 doubles in 94 games at high-A Clearwater before spending the final month at Reading. Manager Pete Mackanin said Kingery could be on "the fast track" to the Phillies.

"Coming from college, I knew that I had a little bit of an advantage and could be a quick mover," Kingery said. "But it's still crazy to me that I'm already here after a year and a half of professional baseball. I still have some things to improve on, and hopefully, I can figure those out and start climbing."