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Max Kepler #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring in the fourth inning during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park on August 5, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 5-0.

Max Kepler is relatively new to Philadelphia. Still, he has been there long enough to understand why it’s widely regarded as one of the toughest cities in which to play.

The veteran outfielder has become something of a lightning rod for Phillies fans, and not in a good way. Kepler has struggled to meet his expectations in his first year with the Phillies, leading to questions about his future. And boos, lots of boos.

Fortunately for his sake, Kepler got a rare reprieve from all the noise in Tuesday’s 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. His second-inning homer was his first since June 22.

Afterward, Kepler talked about his satisfaction in contributing to the win and noted the challenge in trying to please Phillies fans.

“Sometimes I think the boos are their love language,” he joked in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Phillies Outfielder Has Struggled to Adjust

Kepler, 32, is slashing just .204/.295/.366 with 12 homers and 36 RBI, falling well short of the expectations set forth for him when he signed a one-year, $10 million contract over the offseason.

In the same postgame interview, the embattled outfielder opened up a bit about his struggles.

“It’s hard,” Kepler said. “To be honest, I haven’t been the most present lately. I just try to confide in my brothers, enjoy what they do and watch them do their thing.

“If I play unselfish baseball, I feel within the team and as the collective and I’m not thinking of the results coming my way in the future.”

Kepler went 2-for-4 at the plate, his first multi-hit game since July 26 and only the fifth since the start of June.

He is hitting .238 over his last seven games, .149 over his last 15 games, and .170 over his last 30 games.

Max Kepler Has Expressed Frustration About His Role

Amidst the Phillies’ 26-inning scoreless streak in June, Kepler expressed frustration over his lack of everyday at-bats.

“The biggest challenge for me is not playing routinely,” Kepler told the Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “That’s the biggest challenge. I was told I was going to be the starting left fielder.”

Despite playing quite regularly in July, Kepler batted just .196 with a pair of homers in 56 at-bats.

Given his ongoing struggles, there was talking leading up to the July 31 trade deadline that the Phillies could look to move on from Kepler permanently.

Douglas Bonjour is a breaking news contributor covering the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy. He is also a contributing writer for The Associated Press and has worked for Point Spreads, the Connecticut Post and Hearst Connecticut Media as a reporter and editor. More about Douglas Bonjour

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