Max Kepler’s dismal offensive production finally forces a necessary roster shakeup ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks postseason push.
Outfielder Max Kepler has survived a ton of roster moves within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, but Sept. 6 finally marked the day that he was designated for assignment.
The corresponding move sees catcher Adrian Del Castillo recalled from Triple-A Reno.
Kepler hit just .205 this season, which was the lowest in his big-league career, not counting the .143 he hit in a seven-at-bat sample size during his debut season in 2015.
After spending 10 years with the Minnesota Twins, Kepler played for the Philadelphia Phillies last year before coming over to Arizona.
Kepler joined the D-backs on a one-year, $780,000 deal, so this is a move that doesn't come with anything to worry about financially.
The writing was on the wall for Kepler
It was only a matter of time before this was Kepler's fate, and some have argued this should've taken place a long time ago.
If the D-backs want to be true contenders and not just make the playoffs, but also make a deep run, they can't have the left-handed hitter taking up a spot on their roster.
Kepler, 33, hit just .174 with the 46 at-bats he had in the month of August. He obviously wasn't an everyday player, but this team needs more depth, and Kepler simply wasn't giving them what they needed.
He was a fine outfielder, no doubt about it, but at the end of the day, his -0.7 WAR and .205/.262/.303 slash line weren't going to cut it.
Now that his time with Arizona has come to an end, it's important to note Kepler had an OPS of .565, which is one of the worst on the team for someone with his sample size.
Only Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has a worse OPS. The 32-year-old sports a .541 in 174 at-bats, which is 42 more than Kepler. That said, Kepler's batting average is slightly lower, as Gurriel Jr.'s comes in at .207.
Regardless, the writing was always on the wall for Kepler. He hit just two home runs this season, and while he drove in 15 RBIs, he struck out 22.1% of the time, and none of the advanced stats work in his favor.
Baseball Savant has Kepler down for an expected batting average of .211, so that further proves he wasn't an unlucky hitter, but rather one who simply couldn't get anything going with the D-backs, something the team should've expected with him coming off a 0.0 WAR season last year in Philadelphia.
