Phillies plan to play Max Kepler on an everyday basis in left field
On Friday, the Phillies made their signing of Max Kepler to a one-year deal official. While the signing was categorized by some to be puzzling when it was reported on Thursday, the Phillies plans for Kepler are now clear. He’s expected to play left field every day in 2025.
“We look at him playing left field for us,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, later adding, “Our plans are to have him play every day. We think he can.”
The Phillies think Kepler, a left-hander hitter, will be able to hit both right- and left-handed pitching. His numbers on the whole were down last season, when he actually performed better against lefties than righties.
Kepler dealt with patella tendonitis in 2024. He also underwent core muscle surgery earlier this offseason. Fully healthy, the Phillies think Kepler can bounce back next season. For his career, Kepler owns a .778 OPS versus righties and a .655 OPS versus lefties. He posted a 91 OPS+ in 2024, the lowest league-adjusted OPS of his career.
The club sees Kepler as more of a bottom-of-the-order bat. Where he slots into the batting order will be up to manager Rob Thomson. Dombrowski said Kepler “has a lot of the offensive qualities” the front office was looking to add to the lineup. The veteran front office executive pointed out Kepler’s ability to make contact and not chase too many pitches. He also added that the 31-year-old has some pop. Said pop was not on full display last season because of his injury issues.
Kepler has never played left field in the majors, but has done so in the minors. Dombrowski said the club feels confident that Kepler will be able to handle the position, “He is a good outfielder, so he reacts well to the ball. …When we talked to Max, [he said] it’ll be an easy adjustment for him.”
Conversations with Terry Ryan — a former top executive with the Twins when Kepler was in Minnesota’s organization — made the Phillies even more comfortable signing Kepler to play left field on an everyday basis. Ryan is also an old friend and associate of the Phillies organization.
According to advanced metrics, Kepler has been a plus defender throughout his 10-year major-league career. Per FanGraphs, he has 50 defensive runs saved and 66 outs above average in the outfield in the majors.
Kepler playing left means Brandon Marsh will play center field and Nick Castellanos will stay in right field, per Dombrowski. The Phillies feel that alignment gives them a solid 2025 outfield, which will also feature Johan Rojas.
Kepler’s deal is reportedly worth $10 million, pushing the Phillies close to the fourth luxury tax threshold of $301 million. When asked about how their current payroll impacts their plans on adding more offense moving forward, Dombrowski said, “I would be surprised if we got into impactful free agent type of signings from an offensive perspective.”
The Phillies 2025 outfield, and lineup, is now set with the signing of Kepler. It’s a risky move, for sure. But the organization seems confident their new outfielder makes them a better team.
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