His grandfather hit the first home run at the Vet. Now Millville’s Buddy Kennedy gets his chance with the Phillies.

Don Money hit the first-ever home run at Veterans Stadium the day it opened in 1971, forever making him a Phillies trivia answer.

The former third baseman is about to become another. This time, the category is grandfather and grandson duos who played for the Phillies.

Money’s grandson, Buddy Kennedy, who grew up in Millville as a Phillies fan, was called up from triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. With Weston Wilson heading to the paternity list, Kennedy gives the Phillies another infield option. Manager Rob Thomson also said Kennedy, a right-handed hitter, can fill in at corner outfield.

Kennedy, 25, was drafted in the fifth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Millville High School — also Mike Trout’s alma mater — in 2017. He made his major league debut with Arizona in 2022 and has bounced around the Oakland and Detroit organizations.

» READ MORE: Taijuan Walker will remain in the Phillies’ rotation: ‘He deserves another shot’

But this call-up is a little different.

Kennedy wasn’t far from Citizens Bank Park when he got the news from IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras. The triple-A team had an off day on Monday, and Kennedy was at his fiancée’s place in West Berlin, where he’s been living and commuting to Lehigh.

There was the small matter of Kennedy’s bag, which was an hour and 40 minutes away, but one of the clubhouse attendants met him halfway with it in Conshohocken.

Kennedy first called his parents.

“They screamed,” he said. “My mom, I think almost blew my ear out on the phone.”

And then he called Money.

“Hey, we got another Phillie tomorrow in the family,” Kennedy told his grandfather.

Money, 77, was in attendance on Monday night for the series opener against the Astros, along with many of Kennedy’s other family members and friends. Kennedy’s phone quickly started blowing up after the news became public that day, he said.

Kennedy didn’t get on the field during Monday’s 3-2 win over the Astros, but his family came just to see him wear the same uniform his grandfather wore for the five seasons he spent in Philadelphia. Money was traded to Milwaukee in 1972 to open an infield spot for emerging rookie and future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, and went on to be a four-time All-Star with the Brewers before retiring in 1983. But Philadelphia was where his major league career began.

» READ MORE: A diehard Phillies fan and Astros fan planned their wedding around Monday’s game: ‘She deserves a win’

Beyond the family connections, it’s special for Kennedy to be in the ballpark he grew up coming to as a fan. During the 2008 National League Championship Series, he sat in the left field bleachers with his dad and watched the Phillies beat the Dodgers.

“I went to the Phillies parade as soon as they won the whole thing,” he said. “I remember I skipped school. It was a long day, but it was a great day.”

Last year, a connection within the Diamondbacks organization got him tickets for the 2023 NLCS, and he went to a game with his fiancée.

“I was actually just talking to [Phillies pitcher Aaron] Nola about it,” Kennedy said. “It’s just a small world how this game is. You’re with a team, and you’re watching from the stands, and now you’re in the clubhouse with the Philadelphia Phillies.”

The potential of making an appearance for a team with so much personal significance had been in the back of Kennedy’s mind since he was traded to the organization in June. But he also has tried to stay realistic.

His offensive numbers have improved since the trade. Kennedy started the season with Toledo, Detroit’s triple-A affiliate, where he hit .234 in 39 games. In 56 games with Lehigh Valley, he was batting .313 with a .958 OPS. He credits his improvements to minor mechanical adjustments the IronPigs’ hitting coaches helped him identify.

“Once I got over here, I just kind of hit a different page,” Kennedy said. “I was really trying to do everything I can each day to feel as comfortable as possible. Work at-bats. Have quality at-bats, swing at good pitches.”

He also knows his time with the big league club could be limited, so he’s trying to make the most of it. Wilson can remain on the paternity list until Thursday.

“Just be ready, whatever called on, I put my head down, do my job the best of my ability,” he said. “Always have, through high school, in my minor league career, and the best I can in my major league career. So just going to fight, be a tough out when I get in there, and show them what I got.”