19 articles
PHI • LF
about 1 month ago
Kepler returns to left field and is batting seventh against his former club to close out the regular season after missing two consecutive games due to an unspecified illness. The 32-year-old figures to play regularly against right-handed pitching during Philadelphia’s forthcoming playoff run.
PHI • LF
about 2 months ago
Kepler was pulled from Thursday’s game as he was feeling a bit under the weather and now the Phillies will hold him out of action on Friday night against his former club as he’s still not feeling his best. Nick Castellanos will start in his place in right field and will bat seventh for the Phillies against Joe Ryan and the Twins.
Source: MLB
PHI • LF
about 2 months ago
Kepler was replaced by Nick Castellanos when the Phillies took the field for the bottom of the ninth inning on a rainy evening in Philadelphia. He should be considered day-to-day.
Source: Matt Gelb
PHI • LF
2 months ago
Kepler was a key force in the Phillies’ destruction of the Mets here. He was in the middle of three separate rallies and helped put the finishing touches on their victory with a long home run in the eighth inning. Hot as of late, Kepler has an .885 OPS over his last 15 games and has now started against seven straight right-handed pitchers. That’s mostly come at Nick Castellanos’ expense, who’s only started against two of the last seven righties.
PHI • LF
2 months ago
Kepler’s home run was his 15th of the season. The 32-year-old outfielder hit a solo shot off Valente Bellozo in the second inning. Kepler has four home runs and 10 RBI over his last 16 games and is slugging over .500 in that time.
PHI • LF
3 months ago
The Phillies scored all of their runs in the seventh, with Kepler’s liner to right providing the big blow. The Phillies put Nick Castellanos on the bench tonight to go with an outfield of Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Kepler. It’s their best arrangement against right-handers, but we imagine they’ll continue to play Castellanos most of the time anyway.
PHI • LF
3 months ago
Brandon Marsh did nearly the same, though his homer and double produced one RBI each. Phillies fans didn’t seem pleased to see Kepler starting over Harrison Bader tonight, but he likely is the better option against right-handed pitching, even if he has spent most of the season struggling. He’s batting .204/.295/.366 at the moment. Marsh has also had some difficult times, but he’s thriving now and should really be the one Phillies’ outfielder locked in to starting against righties.
PHI • LF
3 months ago
Kepler’s status as the Phillies’ left fielder against right-handers is in question now following the Harrison Bader acquisition, but he’s starting and Bader is sitting tonight. Kepler is still likely looking at a reduced role going forward.
Source: Matt Gelb
PHI • LF
3 months ago
It’s possible Kepler will avoid a trip to the injured list. The 32-year-old outfielder was scratched from the lineup after suffering a triceps strain while taking swings in the cage during Wednesday’s rain delay. He’s presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Tigers.
Source: Lochlahn March
PHI • LF
3 months ago
Brandon Marsh will take over in left field on Wednesday night with Johan Rojas in center field. No word yet on the severity of the issue, which will determine how much time Kepler misses. The fact that the team is calling it a strain already suggests that he could wind up landing on the injured list.
Source: Matt Gelb
PHI • LF
4 months ago
Kepler’s homer against Richard Fitts checked in at 107.7 mph. He’s batting just .207/.305/.372, but his exit velocity numbers are all better than his career marks, and it’d be reasonable to expect some improvement over the final two months.
PHI • LF
4 months ago
Kepler is presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Padres. He was 1-for-3 with an RBI before exiting Wednesday’s one-sided affair at Oracle Park.
Source: Lochlahn March
PHI • LF
4 months ago
Kepler’s homer off Dylan Cease was his 10th of the season. This is actually just the sixth time all year that he’s driven in two runs in a game, and he’s never knocked in more than that. The Phillies were hoping from more from their free agent signing, but Kepler’s current .685 OPS is basically a match for what he did in 2022 and 2024, with 2023 standing out as his only really positive season in the last five years.
PHI • LF
5 months ago
Kepler finds himself on the bench as Philadelphia faces a left-handed starting pitcher for the third consecutive game. The streak comes to an end on Thursday when Astros ace Hunter Brown draws the starting assignment. It’ll be rookie Otto Kemp in left field once again to open Wednesday night’s contest.
Source: MLB.com
PHI • LF
5 months ago
Kepler drew a walk in the fourth inning and scored on a base-loaded hit batter. After drawing another walk in the sixth, he delivered the go-ahead run on a solo homer off Chad Green in the eighth. The 32-year-old outfielder is up to eight homers while slashing .214/.303/.398 across 234 plate appearances.
PHI • LF
6 months ago
Four homers in seven games have raised Kepler’s OPS to .817. That he’s sitting against lefties holds down his value, but maybe the Phillies will have a change of heart and opt to use him a full-time player, as they said they would after signing him. He has some of the best exit velocity numbers of his career, and he’s also striking out a tad less than usual.
PHI • LF
6 months ago
Kepler gave Philadelphia a lead of 6-2 with a solo homer off an ineffective Jake Irvin. The 32-year-old has been solid — if unspectacular — in his first full month with the Phillies, but it’s nice to see some power showing up with homers in two of the last four games after just one roundtripper in the month of April prior to that run.
PHI • LF
7 months ago
Kepler knocked a base hit in the second inning, then put the Phillies on the board with a single in the fourth to drive in a run. He later extended the team lead with a solo homer off Ethan Roberts in the seventh inning. The 32-year-old outfielder is off to a strong start with his new team, hitting .267/.357/.407 with two homers and 12 runs scored across 98 plate appearances.