Max Kepler Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4" / 220 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 2/10/1993 (29)
- Experience
- 5
- College
- None
Max Kepler Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Max Kepler News
Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler and relief pitchers Emilio Pagan, Caleb Thielbar and Trevor Megill have been activated from the restricted list on Monday. In corresponding moves, Jharel Cotton, Mark Contreras and Ian Hamilton were optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. Kepler, Pagan, Thielbar and Megill weren't able to play in the weekend series in Toronto against the Blue Jays because they aren't vaccinated against COVID-19. Pagan should return to the save's mix for the Twins despite converting only one of his last three save chances. Kepler should be back in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against New York Yankees right-hander Jameson Taillon after their off day on Monday.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler and relief pitcher Emilio Pagan have been placed on the restricted list. The Twins have a series in Toronto, so they will presumably be without these players because they're unvaccinated. Kepler just returned to action last week due to a quad issue, so fantasy managers will be without him again for a few days. The bigger hit to the roster is losing Pagan for this series. Jhoan Duran could be asked to make an appearance or two in the ninth without Pagan available. Fantasy managers should have Duran on their radar this weekend.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler was removed from Saturday's game in the 5th inning with tightness in his right leg. Kepler took two at-bats, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout, before being taken out of right field. After the game, manager Rocco Baldelli said that Kepler would get an MRI and it "could go either way" regarding a possible IL stint. The lefty is having a great start to his campaign, slashing .250/.357/.431 with 6 home runs coming into Saturday, so hopefully this is only a minor setback. Consider Kepler day-to-day for now.
Batting Order
| 1 | Luis Arraez |
| 2 | Byron Buxton |
| 3 | Carlos Correa |
| 4 | Max Kepler |
| 5 | Alex Kirilloff |
| 6 | Gio Urshela |
| 7 | Nick Gordon |
| 8 | Ryan Jeffers |
| 9 | Mark Contreras |
Max Kepler Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Luis Arraez |
| 2 | Byron Buxton |
| 3 | Carlos Correa |
| 4 | Max Kepler |
| 5 | Alex Kirilloff |
| 6 | Gio Urshela |
| 7 | Nick Gordon |
| 8 | Ryan Jeffers |
| 9 | Mark Contreras |
After his 2019 breakout, Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler took a step back in 2020. In 196 plate appearances, Kepler posted just a .228/.321/.439 line with nine home runs and 23 RBI. Over a full 162-game season (assuming 500 at-bats) Kepler's home run total equated to, roughly, a 27 HR season. Though this output constituted a decline from his 36 HR campaign in 2019, it was in line with pre-season expectations given his prior underlying power metrics. A 2020 decline in overall exit velocity, a decrease in exit velocity on FB/LD (91.3 mph in 2020 down from 92.9 mph in 2019), a low barrel rate, and a 10% drop in the percentage of 100 mph fly balls hit in 2020 (when compared to 2019), suggested an even steeper drop in HR totals. However, Kepler's 21.9 degree launch angle likely capped this HR decline by driving up his fly ball volume. All of these figures suggest a further decrease in HR numbers for Kepler in 2021. In terms of average, Kepler's .258 xBA and plate discipline metrics consistent with his 2019 totals suggest he was relatively unlucky in this department in 2020. Kepler should see some rebound in batting average in 2021, though struggles with offspeed pitches, breaking balls, and lefties could cap such positive regression. With an ADP of 182, Kepler makes for a reasonable pick as a third or fourth outfielder who can offer 20-25 HR, solid RBI, and run totals, with an average around .250.
