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Phillies’ Max Kepler Sends Strong Message to Coaching Staff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated May 5, 2025 10:45 AM ET

Despite having a 'quiet' offseason, the two most prominent Philadelphia Phillies additions have been off to a strong start. Jesus Luzardo has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Max Kepler has also been heating up lately, though Kepler is still looking for more.

In an article from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Kepler sent a strong message on his playing time, specifically about batting against left-handed pitchers.

"I hope I get some more shots here in the near future against lefties," Kepler said.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson likes to platoon his players, especially in the outfield. After Weston Wilson was activated off the injured list, Kepler sat against left-handed pitchers to allow Wilson to get at-bats.

Kepler brought up how getting more work against lefties would help him hit better against them, and how he likely isn't alone in that sentiment.

"It just gets a little harder when you don't get to see them as routinely as you do the righties. I think the righties on the bench would say the same thing about seeing righties because they only get to see lefties."

In 2025, Kepler had 83 at-bats against right-handed pitching, compared to just 24 against left-handed pitching. Against righties, Kepler has a batting average of .277, while his batting average against lefties is .208.

His splits favor him against right-handed pitching, but he hasn't had significant reps against lefties to know if those numbers will stay that way. He's also shown a history of hitting left-handed pitching well, including in 2024.

Playing with the Minnesota Twins in 2024, Kepler hit better against left-handed pitching than he did against right-handed pitching. He had a .273 average and .720 OPS against left-handed pitching compared to a .247 average and .672 OPS against right-handed pitching.

While Kepler and Wilson will likely continue their left-field platoon, Thomson hasn't closed the door on Kepler getting more chances against left-handed pitching.

He said, "I hope so," in response to Kepler potentially earning more chances against left-handed pitching.

As Kepler has been heating up, he's brought his batting average up to .262, with five home runs and 11 RBI on the year. Across his last 15 days, Kepler has a .310 batting average with an impressive 1.018 OPS.

With Kepler heating up, the Phillies could look to get him more opportunities against lefties. He's proven he can hit against lefties, but the final decision is up to Thomson.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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