Ex-Twins OF Max Kepler struggling, unhappy with role in Philadelphia

Things haven't gone to plan this year for former longtime Twins outfielder Max Kepler, who signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason.

At the halfway point of the season, Kepler is having the worst statistical year of his MLB career. He's hitting .209 with an 87 OPS+, which are both career lows. Kepler has also graded as a below-average defender, resulting in a 0.0 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. Despite hitting nine home runs, the 32-year-old been a replacement-level player, which isn't ideal for a guy on a $10 million contract.

After the Phillies scored one total run in a three-game sweep in Houston this week, Kepler blamed some of his struggles on playing time. He's started 60 of the Phillies' 81 games while basically serving in a strong-side platoon role, starting only three times against lefties, and he had sat in three straight games prior to Thursday's loss. Kepler claims Philadelphia misled him about his role when they signed him.

"The biggest challenge for me is not playing routinely," Kepler said, via The Athletic's Matt Gelb. "That’s the biggest challenge. ... I was told I was going to be the starting left fielder."

It's probably worth noting that Kepler has a .621 OPS in 49 plate appearances against lefties this season and has a .653 career OPS against them, compared to .773 against right-handers. Unsurprisingly, his comments haven't gone over well with Philadelphia fans. The Phillies are 47-34 this season and 0.5 games out of first place in the NL East, but their outfield production has been poor.

It might be approaching the point where Kepler's future with the team is in danger. "A string of righty starters for the next week presents an important test," Gelb wrote. "Kepler will play. He must perform, or the Phillies will consider alternatives."

Kepler left Minnesota this winter after a decade with the Twins and 15 years in their organization. The Twins signed him as a 16-year-old out of Germany in 2009. He was a productive but somewhat inconsistent player in Minnesota, peaking with 36 home runs in 2019. In 12 career playoff games, he hit .146 with no homers.

The Twins have had a rollercoaster season and sit at 39-42 at the halfway point, 2.5 games out of a wild card spot in the AL. But their decision to let Kepler walk in free agency has aged well. All four of their main corner outfielders — Harrison Bader, Trevor Larnach, Willi Castro, and Matt Wallner — have an OPS+ above 100. Ironically, they also acquired Kody Clemens from the Phillies for cash considerations in late April, and he's put up a 124 OPS+ with as many homers as Kepler (9) in basically half the plate appearances.

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