Max

Kepler

Kepler went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. The 33-year-old is merely a platoon option at this stage of his career. He hit just .205/.262/.303 with two homers and 15 RBI in 145 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks this season.

The 33-year-old outfielder struggled mightily after returning from his suspension this season, slashing a woeful .205/.262/.303 with two homers, 15 RBI and a 32/11 K/BB ratio over 145 plate appearances — primarily against right-handers. It’s possible that this could be the end of the line for him.

The previous four games were all versus lefties, but the D-backs are facing a righty today and Kepler still isn’t playing. One wonders if he might get released once Lourdes Gurriel Jr. returns. He’s hitting just .216/.282/.333 in 124 plate appearances, and he won’t be eligible to play in the postseason after his steroid suspension.

Kepler hit two harmless singles before coming through again with a two-run double in the sixth inning. He was 1-for-13 with a walk in his last five games entering play Monday. Kepler is hitting .235 with a .667 OPS and 14 RBI in 68 at-bats for the Diamondbacks.

Kepler put the D-backs on the board right away, taking Jack Perkins deep for a three-run blast in the first inning. He later added a base hit in the sixth and drew a pair of walks to reach four times on the day. The 33-year-old outfielder has appeared in 16 games for Arizona, hitting .240/.286/.420 with two homers and 12 RBI.

No word yet regarding how much time Gurriel will miss, but he’s likely facing a multi-week absence. His departure from Arizona’s outfield mix creates space of Ryan Waldschmidt and Max Kepler to play virtually everyday between center and left field, respectively. The 32-year-old impending free agent has hit .207 (36-for-174) with two homers, 21 RBI and one steal in 189 plate appearances over 47 games since making his season debut back on April 18.

Kepler singled in a run in the first and hit a three-run homer off Walker Buehler in the third. He entered the night 2-for-19 with no extra-base hits, RBI or walks since returning from his steroid suspension. He’ll play regularly against righties if the production is there, but nothing so far seems especially promising.

Kepler started the first two games after being activated from the restricted list, but he’ll take a seat against Rays’ right-hander Drew Rasmussen on Sunday. The 33-year-old is hitless in his first five at-bats for the Diamondbacks with one strikeout. Ketel Marte will function as the team’s designated hitter on Sunday with Ildemaro Vargas drawing a start at second base and batting eighth.

The 33-year-old outfielder has finished serving his 80-game PED suspension and will be active and in uniform for the Diamondbacks on Thursday evening against the Cardinals in St. Louis. He should see fairly regular action against right-handed pitching if he proves that he’s able to hold his own after the long layoff.

Kepler will have a chance to make his debut for the Diamondbacks after being suspended for the first 80 games of the campaign for violating MLB’s drug policy. The 33-year-old will likely get time in the corner outfield against right-hand pitching, but it’d be fair to say that a wait-and-see approach is appropriate in terms of a potential add to a fantasy roster. Tim Tawa will be optioned to Reno to make room for Kepler.