Kepler was removed from Sunday's spring game against Atlanta due to left hip tightness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Kepler went 0-for-1 before being replaced in the field after the third inning. The 30-year-old was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason but has remained in Minnesota, and he's hit well during spring training with a .360/.448/.720 slash line and two home runs. It's unclear if the hip issue will affect his availability for Opening Day, which is less than two weeks away.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Hits first spring home run
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Kepler went 2-for-3 with his first home run of spring training in Monday's win over the Yankees. He's hitting .400 (8-for-20) this spring.
Kepler was the subject of trade talk over the winter, but he looks set to begin the season as the starting right fielder. He's a candidate to benefit from the ban on shifts since he's a pull hitter who hits too many ground balls. His 2019 season (when he hit 36 home runs) featured a Pull% of 50.8 percent compared to just 41.7 percent last season.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Likely staying put
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Minnesota plans to move forward with Kepler on the roster after the team didn't find enough interest on the trade market, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Kepler seemingly was on the way out of Minnesota after the Twins signed Joey Gallo, but Hayes writes that trade interest in Kepler "hasn't been there" and the team now plans to hang on to the veteran outfielder. The trade of Luis Arraez did free up more playing time, and it's probably not a bad idea to keep Kepler around given Gallo's uncertain outlook and the injury history of Alex Kirilloff.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Lands on injured list
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Kepler was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist sprain Saturday, retroactive to Sept. 14, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Kepler missed the last four games due to a leg contusion, and he's apparently also dealing with a wrist injury that will keep him sidelined for at least another week. Since the move was backdated to Wednesday, he'll be eligible to return as early as next weekend. Matt Wallner was called up as part of a move to provide an extra outfielder for the Twins in Kepler's absence.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Remains on bench Thursday
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Kepler (leg) isn't in the lineup Thursday against Kansas City.
Kepler is on the bench for a third consecutive game due to a right leg contusion, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench Thursday. Jake Cave is starting in right field and batting ninth.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Takes seat again
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Kepler (leg) isn't starting Wednesday against the Royals.
Kepler continues to deal with a right leg contusion and will be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Jake Cave will take over in right field and bat eighth.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Out of action Tuesday
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Kepler (leg) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Royals.
Kepler was removed from Sunday's game due to a leg contusion, and it's possible he is just being held out Tuesday due to a southpaw (Kris Bubic) being on the hill for Kansas City. Kyle Garlick will start in right field and bat third.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Leaves with leg contusion
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The Twins announced that Kepler was removed after two innings of Sunday's game against the Guardians due to a right leg contusion, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The diagnosis comes as positive news, as Kepler was feared to have suffered an aggravation of the hip injury that kept him out of the lineup for five games before he returned to the starting nine in Saturday's loss. According to Helfand, Kepler suffered the bruised leg during his lone plate appearance of the day, when he fouled a ball off himself. He can be considered day-to-day heading into the Twins' series opener with the Royals on Tuesday.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Exits early Sunday
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Kepler was removed ahead of the third inning of Sunday's game against the Guardians due to an apparent aggravation of his prior hip injury, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Kepler had missed five games in a row due to the hip issue before he returned to the lineup Saturday as the Twins' starting right fielder, going 0-for-5 in Minnesota's 6-4 loss. He struck out in his lone at-bat Sunday before heading to the bench Sunday, with Gilberto Celestino coming on to replace him. Kepler can be viewed as day-to-day heading into the Twins' next game Tuesday versus Kansas City.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Empty line in return
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Kepler (hip) went 0-for-5 in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Guardians.
Kepler was out of the lineup for five games with the hip injury. In his return, he was one of two Twins starters to fail to record a hit, with Gary Sanchez the other one. Kepler has hit .227 with a .668 OPS, nine home runs, 43 RBI, 54 runs scored and three stolen bases through 114 contests. He should resume his role as the Twins' starting right fielder despite batting .156 (3-for-19) in September.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Back in action Saturday
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Kepler (hip) is starting Saturday against the Guardians.
Kepler was out of the lineup for the last five games, but he appeared off the bench Friday and went 0-for-1. He'll start in right field and bat cleanup during Saturday's matchup.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Still not starting
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Kepler (hip) isn't in the lineup Friday against the Guardians.
Kepler will be on the bench for a fifth consecutive game due to a hip injury, but he appeared off the bench Monday and Wednesday. Whether he's available in a depth role Friday remains to be seen, but Jake Cave will start in right field and bat seventh.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Remains on bench Thursday
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Kepler (hip) isn't starting Thursday against the Yankees.
Kepler will remain out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game as he continues to manage a hip injury, though he's appeared off the bench in two of the last three matchups. Kyle Garlick is starting in right field and leading off Thursday.
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Twins' Max Kepler: On bench for nightcap
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Kepler (hip) is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
Kepler was scratched from the lineup Monday due to hip tightness and is absent from the starting nine for both games of Wednesday's twin bill. Kyle Garlick will take over in right field and bat sixth for Minnesota in Game 2.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Not starting matinee
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Kepler (hip) isn't starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
Kepler was scratched from Monday's lineup due to hip tightness, and he'll remain on the bench for the first game of Wednesday's twin bill. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench or whether he'll be in the lineup for Wednesday's nightcap.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Scratched with hip issue
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The Twins scratched Kepler from the lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Yankees due to hip tightness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
According to Helfand, Kepler is expected to be available off the bench, so his hip issue looks to be a day-to-day concern. Kyle Garlick was a late addition to the lineup and will cover right field and bat sixth in Kepler's stead.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Multi-hit effort in win
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Kepler went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's victory over the White Sox.
Kepler recorded his fourth multi-hit game in his last eight with two base hits Sunday. The stretch has increased his season average from .225 to .232 as he is starting to look healthy again after slashing .141/.179/.188 in his first 17 games after returning from the IL with a toe injury. He appears locked into the middle of manager Rocco Baldelli's lineup and could be valuable in deeper fantasy formats down the stretch.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Reaches five times
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Kepler went 2-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Saturday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Giants.
Kepler hit two singles and added a pair of walks in the first nine innings, including scoring the Twins' first run in the ninth. He was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs in the 10th, and that plan backfired for the Giants. It's been a rather quiet August for Kepler, who has just three multi-hit efforts in 18 games, batting .167 (11-for-66) with six walks and 12 strikeouts in that span. Overall, he's slashing .229/.325/.357 with nine home runs, three steals, 42 RBI and 47 runs scored through 103 contests.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Not in Friday's lineup
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Kepler isn't starting Friday against the Giants.
Kepler is getting a breather after he went 0-for-7 with a walk over the last two games. Kyle Garlick will take his place in right field and lead off.
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Twins' Max Kepler: Swipes third bag
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Kepler went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Royals.
It's Kepler's first steal since May 21 and only his third of the year after he swiped a career-high 10 in 2021. It's at least a good sign that the 29-year-old is fully recovered from the toe injury that landed him on the IL in late July, as is the single -- after an 0-for-27 stretch following his activation, Kepler's gone 4-for-12 in his last three games.
