After waiting his turn in Triple A for the better parts of three seasons, outfielder Tony Kemp has carved out a niche for himself this season as a spark at the bottom of the Astros’ lineup.



Playing predominantly left field but also filling in at times for George Springer in center, Kemp has accumulated a career-high 203 at-bats and put himself in strong contention for a spot on Houston’s playoff roster. In his best major-league opportunity to date, the Franklin, Tenn., native and former SEC player of the year has batted .276 with a .774 OPS.



Earlier this week, Kemp spoke to The Athletic about his season, grinding through Triple A, the obstacles that came with being 5-foot-6 and how he used his omission from the Astros’ playoff rosters last year as motivation during the offseason.



(This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.)



You’re more than 200 at-bats into a season that really represents the best major-league...