The Philadelphia Phillies could cut ties with Max Kepler after Rob Thomson moved him down in the lineup, pinch hit for him, and benched him against a righty.
Rob Thomson's Latest Decisions Point Towards Phillies Cutting Ties With Max Kepler originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies have an issue in the outfield, but it's no longer with Brandon Marsh. He's turned the corner and is hitting .303 with a .784 OPS since the start of May.
But the same can't be said for outfielder Max Kepler. He's struggled this season and hasn't been great lately. Since the start of May, Kepler is batting just .186 with a .638 OPS.
His struggles have forced Rob Thomson to make some changes, and in the eyes of Matt Gelb of The Athletic, those changes could point towards potential changes coming with the Phillies' outfield.
"It's not hard to see where the Kepler situation is headed." Gelb wrote. "Thomson dropped Kepler to eighth in the batting order Saturday, then pinch hit for him in the eighth inning against a lefty reliever. He was not in Sunday's lineup, marking the first time all season Kepler sat when a righty starter opposed the Phillies."
While Gelb doesn't outright say it, the implication is clear: Kepler's time in Philadelphia might be coming to an end. His struggles at the plate have been too much to ignore.
While he's hitting a bit better in July, with a .261 average and a .748 OPS, it's a small sample size. His season-long production, a .210 average and a .678 OPS, is not good enough for the Phillies.
Even though he has 10 home runs and is tied for fourth on the team, his overall production hasn't been good enough. Philadelphia is rumored to be in the outfield trade market, and while there aren't a ton of great options, their interest in an outfielder is likely to replace Kepler.
He'll be a free agent after this season, since the 32-year-old signed a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason. Moving on from him won't be a challenge, and while he likely wouldn't be traded for anything, the Phillies could still move on from the struggling veteran.
Whether it's a trade target or a promotion for Justin Crawford, the writing on the wall shows that Kepler will likely be replaced. Thomson's decisions lately point to such a scenario, as the Phillies might decide to end the Kepler experiment by the MLB trade deadline.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
