Max Kepler
31-Year-Old
10-Day IL
Injury Knee
Est. Return 9/20/2024
2024 Stats
AVG
.253
HR
8
RBI
42
R
43
SB
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Kepler had the second-best season of his career even though it looked like his time in Minnesota was coming to an end at the start of 2023. Coming off a subpar season, Kepler was rumored to be on the trade block all offseason. He then hit .232 with three home runs and a .771 OPS in April. Something changed in May, as he hit .263 with 21 home runs and a .823 OPS the rest of the season. He returned to hitting more fly balls (44.3% from 34.4% in 2022) but luck may have played a factor with a career-best .288 BABIP and second-highest 16.1% HR/RB rate. Still, Kepler has always had chronically low BABIP rates, so he could sustain a slight uptick. Kepler's success came despite a dip in his usual strong command at the plate. He had just a 9.2% walk rate and a career-low 21.6% strike out rate, which were likely offset by continued above-average power as his Max Exit Velocity was in the 89th percentile (per Baseball Savant). His .751 OPS against lefties continued a recent improvement against southpaws, which could keep his bat in the lineup more. While his defensive metrics took an uncharacteristic decline (-0.8 fWAR), he's still viewed by the team as a plus defender. He should reprise as the starting right fielder and could find an early age-30s power surge. Read Past Outlooks
Goes on IL with knee tendinitis
The Twins placed Kepler on the 10-day injured list Thursday with left patellar tendinitis, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
Kepler had missed four straight games and started just three of the last 11 contests because of the nagging knee issue. The Twins have finally opted to put him on the IL, bringing up DaShawn Keirsey as a replacement. Most of the playing time in right field while Kepler is sidelined should go to Matt Wallner.
Kepler had missed four straight games and started just three of the last 11 contests because of the nagging knee issue. The Twins have finally opted to put him on the IL, bringing up DaShawn Keirsey as a replacement. Most of the playing time in right field while Kepler is sidelined should go to Matt Wallner.
Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
2
43
15
9
8
1
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
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2
4
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+2%
OPS vs RHP
2024
+7%
OPS vs LHP
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .714 | 298 | 7 | 29 | .254 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .730 | 1037 | 34 | 122 | .245 | ||||
2024vs Left | .720 | 82 | 2 | 10 | .273 | ||||
2024vs Right | .672 | 316 | 6 | 32 | .247 | ||||
2023vs Left | .751 | 97 | 4 | 9 | .250 | ||||
2023vs Right | .832 | 394 | 20 | 57 | .263 | ||||
2022vs Left | .677 | 119 | 1 | 10 | .243 | ||||
2022vs Right | .662 | 327 | 8 | 33 | .221 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+15%
OPS at Home
2024
+30%
OPS at Home
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .773 | 698 | 24 | 86 | .261 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .675 | 637 | 17 | 65 | .232 | ||||
2024Home | .761 | 218 | 6 | 30 | .282 | ||||
2024Away | .585 | 180 | 2 | 12 | .217 | ||||
2023Home | .895 | 230 | 12 | 34 | .291 | ||||
2023Away | .746 | 261 | 12 | 32 | .233 | ||||
2022Home | .668 | 250 | 6 | 22 | .213 | ||||
2022Away | .664 | 196 | 3 | 21 | .244 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Max Kepler compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.28BB Rate
5.5%K Rate
20.1%BABIP
.300ISO
.128AVG
.253OBP
.302SLG
.380OPS
.682wOBA
.301Exit Velocity
88.9 mphHard Hit Rate
29.9%Barrels/PA
4.5%Expected BA
.247Expected SLG
.387Sprint Speed
22.4 ft/secGround Ball %
35.2%Line Drive %
21.0%Fly Ball %
43.8%Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
Kepler hit just nine home runs last year and saw a sharp decrease in power even though his other stats were mostly in line with his career. He did struggle with injuries as he played just 115 games missing time due to a sore knee, broken toe and quad injury, though none seem like long-term worries. Kepler again showed outstanding command at the plate with a 11% walk rate and a career-best 14.8% strike out rate. However, he had a career-low 34.4% FB%. He's still capable of above-average power as his Max Exit Velocity was in the 98th percentile (per Baseball Savant), but that only translated to a career-low .348 SLG. He profiles as a candidate to benefit from the ban on shifts since he's a pull hitter who hits too many ground balls. His 2019 season featured a Pull% of 50.8% compared to just 41.7% last season. His defense remains a plus as he was a Gold Glove finalist in right field. He also had a better OPS last season against lefties, which could mitigate concerns he may be platooned since he's had sharp platoon splits over his career. Still, four years later, it's looking like Kepler's 36-home run 2019 season was an outlier and he'll be hard pressed to keep an everyday job if he can't translate his plate discipline into better production.
More Fantasy News
Out again Thursday
Kepler (knee) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Tampa Bay.
ANALYSIS
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Not in Wednesday's lineup
Kepler (knee) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Tampa Bay.
ANALYSIS
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Held out again Tuesday
Kepler (knee) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game in Tampa Bay.
ANALYSIS
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Late scratch from lineup
Kepler was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Rays due to left knee soreness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returns as fielder
Kepler (knee) appeared in Friday's win over Toronto as a defensive replacement in right field but did not have a plate appearance.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Seattle inquired
The Mariners asked the Twins about Kepler's availability during recent trade negotiations, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
ANALYSIS
While Kepler's name was brought up as part of a larger trade scenario the two sides discussed, Morosi says it never gained traction before a deal which sent Jorge Polanco to Seattle was completed. Kepler has been floated as a potential trade piece with the Twins cutting payroll, but he now seems more likely than not to stay put.
While Kepler's name was brought up as part of a larger trade scenario the two sides discussed, Morosi says it never gained traction before a deal which sent Jorge Polanco to Seattle was completed. Kepler has been floated as a potential trade piece with the Twins cutting payroll, but he now seems more likely than not to stay put.