Max Kepler News: Taking seat against righty

Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

The left-handed-hitting Kepler will be held out of the starting nine for the third time in five games and for the second matchup against a right-handed starting pitcher (Jake Irvin). Though he's raised his production at the plate in August, Kepler is slashing just .233/.269/.397 since the All-Star break, and his underwhelming numbers appear to have begun to cost him some playing time while Philadelphia frees up more opportunities for trade-deadline pickup Harrison Bader.