Max Kepler says he’s healthy, ready for left field, and excited to join ‘a bunch of ballers’ with the Phillies

From the window of the Philadelphia hotel room where Max Kepler was recovering from bilateral core surgery last October, he could see Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies happened to be hosting the Mets that week for the National League Division Series, so the sports complexes were alive with activity. Kepler’s mom even asked if he wanted to pop over to see the game. But rather than making the trek in a wheelchair, Kepler ultimately settled for watching his future team on TV.

“I was definitely a little drugged up, and so I was kind of in and out, trying to recover from that surgery,” Kepler said. “But you could definitely feel the energy, even though you weren’t even there.”

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Less than three months later, the outfielder signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Phillies. For Kepler, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins, it marks a new chapter in more ways than one.

For starters, he feels healthy again. The offseason surgery finally helped him overcome several injuries that limited his 2024 season to 105 games after he had tried to play through them for months.

“I’m not the type to make excuses,” said Kepler, who turns 32 in February. “But I was seeing my exit [velocity] numbers dip, and I was trying to figure out as to why my whole hitting system was kind of dipping into the analytics side of things, and we were tinkering and working on the mechanics and all kinds of things, and nothing was fixing it.”

In July, Kepler felt something off in his lower core area after hitting the ground hard on a headfirst dive. He continued to play, but then started to develop left knee problems. After finally taking a step back from the Twins in September, a scan revealed he had a partially detached abdominal muscle that was connected to his femur.

“I feel, I’d say, 100%,” Kepler said. “I’m doing everything. I’m swinging, hitting, running, throwing, pain free. And on top of it, I feel like I’m more flexible than I have been in the past, which is a main focus for me.”

It’s also a fresh start in terms of position, as Kepler is expected to be the Phillies’ everyday left fielder. Kepler played 927 games in right field and 159 games in center with the Twins, but hasn’t spent an inning in left since the minor leagues.

“I’m obviously a corner guy, and I am very easily adjustable,” Kepler said. “I’m not worried about the transition from right to left. What I’m looking forward to is learning how the park plays, and little nooks and corners. And I think I’ll be able to actually reach over the wall now for once in my career, and actually try and rob homers, as opposed to that big right field wall in Minnesota, which never gave me the opportunity.”

He’s planning to get to the Phillies’ facilities in Clearwater, Fla., early to get a head start. Kepler has also already been working with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long, and is planning to meet with him again before spring training officially begins.

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After spending his entire career in one place, this new chapter also feels a bit like the first day of school, Kepler said. He already knows right-handed swingman Joe Ross, who coincidentally signed a one-year deal with the Phillies a few days after Kepler’s contract became official. But he also has a lot of new people to meet.

“Walking into that room is going to be a lot emotionally,” Kepler said. “But once I’m there and once I’ve shaken everyone’s hand — which I hope goes by quicker than slow — I think stuff is just going to flow, and I’m going to hopefully grow on that unit.”

And the plan, when October rolls around again, is for Kepler to be at Citizens Bank Park — in person this time.

“There’s a bunch of ballers on that team that I think I would learn from, and just enjoy watching work,” Kepler said. “The main, sole reason is to win a championship. And I think that team has everything in order to do that.”