UP: Max Kepler
Things didn’t look so good for Max Kepler at the beginning of the week as he couldn’t find his stroke at the plate. Entering last Thursday, the Twins right fielder was riding an 0-for-24 streak and was going up against one of the top pitchers in the American League in Trevor Bauer.
Instead of continuing to go down that trajectory, Kepler responded in a big way, launching three home runs for the Twins in a 5-4 victory over Cleveland. After recording a hit in Detroit, Kepler is hitting .264 but also has compiled an OPS of .877 this season, meaning he’s making an impact even when he doesn’t get hits.
Kepler’s rebound season has been well documented and while .280 (the average he held before the slump) may be more toward his ceiling, if he can deliver in the .260 range with pop at the plate, that’s something that the Twins will take from the 26-year old.