Recovered and recharged, Kepler confident in his ability to handle lefties originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Recovered and recharged after an injury-plagued 2024 season, Max Kepler is looking forward to flying to Clearwater next month to meet his new Phillies teammates, get used to his new position and play pain-free.
Kepler signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Phils the week before Christmas, but he was in town two months earlier. He would have preferred not to be. It was in Philadelphia that he underwent bilateral surgery to repair a partially detached abdominal muscle.
Kepler survived his injury last summer before finally telling the Twins in September that he couldn’t do it anymore. His season ended with 399 plate appearances and he hit just .253/.302/.380 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. The year before, he hit 24 home runs with an .816 OPS.
He believes there is no doubt that the injury affected his performance.
“It’s been a tough two or three months,” Kepler said Thursday. “I’m not one to make excuses, but I was seeing my exit velocity numbers dropping and trying to figure out why my whole hitting system was dropping a bit. We were tinkering and working on the mechanics and nothing could fix it.”
Kepler knew something was wrong in July after diving headfirst and hitting the ground hard with his lower area. A few weeks later, he developed knee pain and wondered if it was due to overcompensation.
“I kept playing and kind of ignored the symptoms and tried to be there for my team,” he said. “But the numbers really weren’t showing and I was just digging a deeper hole with my individual stats and performances.”
Kepler’s surgery was performed Oct. 2 by Dr. William Meyers, and the outfielder said he could see Citizens Bank Park from his hospital room window. He considered making the short trip to watch the Phillies play the Mets in the NLDS, but decided against it.
Kepler didn’t know then that he would eventually become a Phillie, but it was the kind of opportunity he was looking for: a one-year contract and a chance to reestablish free agent value while still playing for a team who has a chance to win it all in 2025.
“I feel, I would say, 100 percent,” Kepler said. “I do everything. I swing, I hit, I run, I throw without pain.
“If I’m healthy, everything is fine. When health is not an issue, then for me the game is all mental. Finding a rhythm and riding that wave for as long as possible has always been a project. You just keep making adjustments.
The Phillies plan to play Kepler every day unless he gives them a reason not to. Like Brandon Marsh, he is a left-handed hitter and would be difficult to platoon in both corners of the outfield.
For his career, Kepler is a .243 hitter with a .778 OPS against righties and a .221 hitter with a .655 OPS against lefties.
He did, however, have a few decent years against pitches with the same player. In his best year, 2019, Kepler hit .293 against lefties. From 2022 to 2024, he hit .254.
“I don’t consider myself someone who struggles against lefties,” he said. “It varies, it depends on the year. There were a few years in my career where I wrestled southpaws, but it’s not like I wrestled every year. So I would never consider myself someone ‘one who fights against lefties.
“I think once a left-hander constantly sees a left-hander, just like right-handers constantly see right-handers, it becomes easier. Obviously, if you don’t see a left-hander for months, then it will be something new from a different angle to come you are opposed to what you are used to.
Kepler will likely bat fifth or sixth against a right-handed starter and could drop a few spots lower against a southpaw. He will play left field, with the Phils keeping Nick Castellanos in right field.
Kepler hasn’t played left field since the low minor league levels, but plans to arrive in Clearwater early for spring training to get as many reps as possible.
“I’m very easily adjustable so I don’t worry about transitioning from right to left,” he said. “What I’m looking forward to is learning how the park plays and the little nooks and crannies. I think I might actually go over the wall now for once in my career to try to steal home runs rather than make a big hit. right field wall in Minnesota, which never gave me the chance.
“I’m just going to have to try to play the slice differently than the right one. I’m excited for all of that.”
