Brewers To Promote Cooper Pratt
The Brewers are calling shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt up to the major leagues, as confirmed by MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. There was plenty of “hug watch” social media buzz about Pratt’s possible promotion during Triple-A Nashville’s game today, as teammates were seen congratulating Pratt in the dugout during the sixth inning.
Pratt will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game, which will surely come on Tuesday when the Brewers host the Guardians. Pratt was already added to the 40-man roster when he finalized his eight-year, $50.75MM extension with the Brewers in early April, so only a 26-man roster move will need to made as the corresponding transaction on Tuesday.
The $50.75MM marked the third-largest extension ever guaranteed to a player without any Major League experience, and it came just a few days into Pratt’s first season of Triple-A ball. The Brewers wanted to give Pratt some more minor league seasoning before giving him a look in the majors, and the infielder has delivered an okay but unspectacular slash line of .244/.353/.392 over 258 PA with Nashville.
While the Brewers certainly aren’t going to rush Pratt before they think he’s ready for the Show, the total lack of offense being provided by starting shortstop Joey Ortiz is surely a factor in Milwaukee’s decision. Ortiz is still providing quality defense at short but is hitting only .207/.299/.262 over 170 plate appearances. Regular third baseman Luis Rengifo is posting similar numbers, so the entire left side of the infield has been a glaring weakness for the NL Central leaders.
David Hamilton has been getting an increasing share of the playing time at both third base and shortstop, so the Brewers’ plan could be to have Hamilton, Rengifo, and Ortiz in a timeshare at third base and in a bench role, while giving Pratt an everyday assignment in his first taste of the big leagues. The right-handed hitting Pratt has been a lot more productive against lefties than against righties at Triple-A, so the Brew Crew could also spell Pratt against some tougher right-handed pitching.
The pricey extension put a big spotlight on a player who was viewed as a solid but not necessarily blue-chip prospect heading into 2026. The preseason prospect rankings saw Pratt land 50th on Baseball America’s list, while MLB Pipeline (62nd), ESPN (70th), and The Athletic’s Keith Law (99th) were less bullish on the 21-year-old’s future potential.
Defensively, Pratt is considered to have a good enough glove to stick as a big league shortstop. He has also swiped 79 bags in 88 attempts over his minor league career, so Pratt should fit right into a speedy Brewers team. The question with Pratt is now well his bat can translate against MLB pitching, and his so-so results at Nashville haven’t done much to quiet the doubters.
Milwaukee obviously felt strongly enough about Pratt’s potential to lock him into such a big commitment, even if evaluators felt Pratt was maybe the fourth-best infielder in the Brewers’ farm system. Jesus Made is arguably the top prospect in all of baseball and Luis Pena and Jett Williams are also highly-touted top-100 types, though Pratt is viewed as the most polished defensive shortstop of the group.
Though naturally much can change over the long time, the Brewers might view their infield of the future as Pratt at shortstop, Made and Pena at second or third base in some combination, and Williams in the outfield. This scenario also assumes that Brice Turang will be (like so many established Brewers veterans) traded before he reaches free agency, but that day is a while away since Turang is arbitration-controlled through 2029.
There’s no such thing as having “too many” promising young infielders, of course, and the Brewers’ player development system continues to be the envy of most franchises. Milwaukee has been aggressive in locking up its top prospect to pre-career extensions, between Pratt, Jackson Chourio, and (just a few days ago) outfield prospect Luis Lara.
Mariners Notes: Raleigh, Crawford, Arozarena, Munoz, Naylor
The Mariners open up a six-game homestand on Tuesday, and two key names figure to be returning from the 10-day injured list. Manager Dan Wilson told the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude and other reporters that catcher Cal Raleigh should be activated depending on how Raleigh feels after playing today in the fifth game of his minor league rehab assignment. J.P. Crawford also expects to be activated after a minimal 10-day stint due to a bruised hand.
Assuming Raleigh is ready to go, it’ll mark almost exactly one month since an oblique strain sent the slugger to the IL back on May 14. Raleigh tried to play through the discomfort for a couple of weeks before going onto the injured list, which partially explains his dismal early numbers. After a 60-homer season in 2025 that almost won him AL MVP honors, Raleigh was hitting only .161/.243/.317 with seven home runs over his first 181 plate appearances of the 2026 campaign.
As Jude noted, the Mariners actually went on a hot streak with Raleigh sidelined, and the M’s are now up to a 37-36 record that puts them atop the inconsistent AL West. If the IL stint acts as a reset to Raleigh’s season, the Mariners will only benefit by having an in-form slugger back in the heart of their lineup.
Crawford rebounded from a slow start to become one of Seattle’s hottest bats in the month leading up to his hand injury, which was caused after he was hit by a Framber Valdez pitch on June 5. The IL stint also delayed plans to move Crawford to third base to accommodate Colt Emerson at the shortstop position, and Crawford has been working diligently at the hot corner during his rehab process. Jude wrote that Crawford played exclusively as a third baseman during pregame infield drills over the previous three days, so Tuesday could mark Crawford’s first MLB game at third base since 2018.
Randy Arozarena is another player to watch for Tuesday, as the outfielder hasn’t played since making an early exit from Friday’s game due to left hamstring tightness. The injury isn’t considered to be particularly serious, so between Arozarena’s weekend off and Seattle’s off-day on Monday, the hope is that he’ll be fully healed for the start of the Guardians series.
Amidst all of this good health news, however, were a couple more injury scares coming out of Sunday’s 10-1 loss to the Nationals. Josh Naylor left the game in the sixth inning after fouling a ball off his right shin, and reliever Andres Munoz left in the eighth inning due to back tightness.
Both injuries may be less serious than they appeared at first glance. Wilson told the media that x-rays were negative on Naylor’s shin, and the first baseman told Jude and company that he was “doing all right.” Likewise, Munoz told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer and other reporters that his back issue is “nothing to worry about,” and Wilson described Munoz’s situation as day-to-day.
Munoz normally wouldn’t have been called upon for mop-up work in a blowout, but the closer hadn’t pitched since April 8 and today marked only Munoz’s fourth outing in June. The lack of usage has been more to do with game situations, though Munoz’s usually elite form has taken a dip. A huge increase in hard-contact numbers and a spike in homers has resulted in a 5.92 ERA over 24 1/3 innings for Munoz, though his strikeout rate is still superb and he is posting his lowest walk rate since 2022.
MLBTR Live Chat
Mark P
- The Weekend Chat is now open! We’ll begin things officially once a few questions start to pile up…
Garrett
- I’m interested in your Nationals strategy if you were in charge of the team come trade deadline. Personally I feel like they’ll sell but mostly focus on expiring pieces vs. an Abrams trade, for example. Maybe a Luis Garcia Jr. gets moved?
Mark P
- If the Nats are still in contention at the deadline, I think you’ll see them take the usual path of clubs in borderline contention. They’ll buy but not to any great extent….perhaps in Washington’s case, adding some bullpen help and starter to eat innings. Nothing that would require the Nats to dig too deeply into their prospect base, of course.As for selling, if the Nats fall apart over the next six weeks, Abrams could certainly find himself dealt if the offer is right.
- Garcia is another potential trade candidate, except he wouldn’t get much back in return besides a lotto ticket type of prospect
ABS challenge
- Any updates on Spencer Strider?
Mark P
- He’s visiting Dr. Meister in a couple of days. As ominous as this sounds, it might also be just a standard procedure check-in, rather than a harbinger of a TJ surgery or something
Blue Rodeo
- 23 – 9! Wow! ?
Mark P
- Quite the game today between the Broncos and Raiders…..wait, what’s that?
Nick Krall
- How hot is my seat becoming? Am I out by the end of the month?
Mark P
- An in-season firing is almost certainly not happening, and a firing at all probably isn’t in the cards. It’s been a tough stretch here for the Reds but wholesale changes don’t seem to be in store.
RinginMyBell
- Albeit there is little of trade value and a horrid farm system, should Dombrowski and the Phils sell off approaching the deadline? One could argue they would be in Wildcard contention but can they really compete with so many holes and a past postseason performance?
Mark P
- Barring a truly calamitous collapse in the next month, there is no way on earth the Phillies sell.
- Any team with Sanchez and Wheeler has to feel good about their chances in a short playoff series. The Phillies have some real holes on the roster, but make no mistake, this is still a very good team.
Texas
- Luis Arraez or Willson Contreras For Texas at Deadline I love both…?
Mark P
- Contreras is more expensive but also clearly the better hitter. All things being equal, he’s the one I’d target if I was a Texas team looking for a big bat.
Giants Notes: Winn, Gage, Mahle, Ramos
The Giants placed right-hander Keaton Winn on the 15-day injured list, with a retroactive placement date of June 11. Right-hander Tristan Beck was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Winn is dealing with a right elbow strain, though Giants manager Tony Vitello downplayed the seriousness of the strain when speaking with MLB.com’s Maria Guardado (separate links) and other reporters. The reliever could be able to start throwing again in a “handful” of days, as per Vitello, and it doesn’t appear as though an MRI revealed any notable structural damage.
As Guardado noted, even a seemingly minor elbow issue is notable given Winn’s injury history, which includes a Tommy John surgery and an ulnar nerve transposition surgery. His lack of durability was one reason San Francisco moved Winn (once a touted starting pitching prospect) into a relief role last year, and Winn has pitched pretty well coming out of the pen in 2026.
Over 30 2/3 innings this season, Winn has a 3.23 ERA, 21.8% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate. A .235 BABIP has certainly contributed to Winn’s success, but hitters aren’t getting much on the ball when they do put it in play. Winn’s 27.7% hard-hit ball rate ranks in the 96th percentile of all pitchers, and his 4.8% barrel rate is also very strong.
Winn’s numbers were even better before a slump that saw the righty post an 8.53 ERA over his last five outings and 6 1/3 IP. That tough stretch included appearances in three straight games on June 6-8, and Winn was tagged for three runs in two-third of an inning in the last of those outings on June 8 (which was his last game before his IL stint).
These recent struggles aside, Winn has been one of the more reliable members of an overall inconsistent Giants bullpen. Beck is up in the majors for the third time this season and is looking to improve on a 9.00 ERA over his eight innings of MLB action. Left-hander Matt Gage also might not be far away from a return, as Gage began a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday. Gage posted a 2.63 ERA (albeit with some shaky peripherals) over his first 24 innings before a bout of knee inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL on June 2.
On the rotation front, Tyler Mahle is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment today. Mahle hasn’t pitched since May 26, as a left hamstring strain sent him to the 15-day IL the next day. While it looks like the strain wasn’t too severe, the injury added to a tough beginning to Mahle’s San Francisco tenure.
After signing a one-year, $10MM free agent deal this past winter, Mahle posted a 6.04 ERA over his first 56 2/3 innings in the Giants rotation. Mahle’s 4.17 SIERA is more palatable and it reflects his .331 BABIP, but the right-hander hasn’t helped his cause by allowing 11 home runs.
Mahle will probably rejoin the rotation in place of Trevor McDonald, who has been a useful fill-in first for Logan Webb and now for Mahle. Guardado suggests that the trade deadline could factor into the Giants’ thinking in giving Mahle more time to right the ship as a starter, as an in-form Mahle is a natural trade candidate if the Giants can’t get back into contention.
Turning to position players, Guardado writes that Heliot Ramos could also be close to starting a rehab assignment. Ramos sustained a right quad strain while trying to make a sliding catch in the Giants’ 5-2 loss to the Athletics on May 15, but after a month of recovery time, Ramos’ baseball activity has progressed to the point that he looks to be nearing some on-field action in the minors. Ramos was hitting .267/.307/.424 with four homers in 176 PA at the time of his injury.
Twins Select Kyler Fedko, Designate Orlando Arcia
The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of outfield prospect Kyler Fedko from Triple-A St. Paul. Infielder Orlando Arcia was designated for assignment, creating space for Fedko on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
Arcia signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in Janury, and his contract was selected to the active roster on May 19 when Royce Lewis was optioned down to Triple-A. With Lewis now back in the Show for over a week, the Twins will shuffle their position player alignment once more in bringing Fedko up as depth for both the outfield and perhaps in the infield mix. Fedko has a good deal of experience as a first baseman, and he had his first two professional appearances as a second baseman while playing for St. Paul this year.
A 12th-round pick for the Twins in the 2021 draft, Fedko isn’t ranked by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America as a top-30 prospect within Minnesota’s farm system. Nevertheless, Fedko has now earned his first ticket to the majors on the strength of some very impressive hitting numbers over the last two seasons, including a .278/.364/.532 slash line and 23 home runs over 426 Triple-A plate appearances.
The 26-year-old Fedko can play all three outfield positions, and he has 47 stolen bases (out of 59 attempts) over the last two seasons at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. With a lot of his offensive production coming against southpaws, the right-handed hitting Fedko provides a natural complement to Trevor Larnach or Kody Clemens in the corner outfield slots. With Fedko now on hand, Clemens might get moved back to more regular infield duty rather than playing on the grass.
Arcia hit .271/.300/.354 over 50 PA for the Twins, which isn’t far off the .240/.292/.369 slash line he has posted over 3587 career PA over 11 Major League seasons. Formerly a regular with the Brewers and Braves, Arcia’s long career has included a World Series ring with Atlanta in 2021 and an All-Star appearance as recently as 2023, but he is best known as a defensive specialist in his heyday.
Since Arcia has more than enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment, he’ll get to make the next call on his future if he clears waivers. He can choose to remain with the Twins as a Triple-A depth piece, or elect free agency in lieu of an outright assignment and look for an opportunity elsewhere. For what it’s worth, Arcia already declined an opt-out opportunity in his minor league deal when he didn’t make Minnesota’s Opening Day roster, so he could be content again to stick with the organization and wait for his next selection.
Braves Place Spencer Strider On 15-Day Injured List
1:11pm: Ritchie will indeed take Strider’s spot in the rotation, Weiss announced (via Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
9:05am: The Braves announced that right-hander Spencer Strider has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. Right-hander Anthony Molina was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move.
The placement comes a day after Strider was removed during the fourth inning of Friday’s 7-5 loss to the Mets. Strider was charged with seven runs over his three innings (plus one batter) of work, and he was visited on the mound by a team trainer after walking MJ Melendez to begin the fourth inning.
During the game, the Braves said Strider’s departure was due to soreness in both his right elbow and shoulder. Manager Walt Weiss told MLB.com’s Matthew Ritchie and other reporters post-game that Strider would undergo an MRI, and the fact that Strider has been immediately placed on the IL likely isn’t a good sign.
After an All-Star season in 2023, Strider’s emergence as a homegrown ace of the Braves rotation has been dimmed by multiple injuries. An internal brace surgery sidelined him for almost all of the 2024 season and the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign, and then Strider quickly picked up a hamstring strain that led to another month on the shelf. This season, Strider strained his oblique during Spring Training and didn’t make his 2026 debut until May 3.
Strider has a 5.31 ERA over eight starts and 39 innings in 2026. While his 4.09 SIERA is considerably better than his ERA and Friday’s outing can probably be chalked up to injury, Strider hasn’t really looked like his old self. Strider’s strikeout rate is an impressive 27.9% but he is walking a lot of batters (12.1BB%) and has allowed nine home runs over his small sample size of work. The elite fastball velocity that Strider showed pre-UCL surgery hasn’t returned, as his four-seamer is averaging a modest 95.1mph this year.
Strider’s inconsistency has been one of the few down notes during an otherwise superb year for the Braves, who lead the majors with a 45-24 record. Some early-season injuries thinned Atlanta’s rotation depth and that may be a question again now that Strider is again on the IL, yet the Braves are now in better position to fill a hole in the starting five. JR Ritchie threw five shutout innings in relief of Strider last night and might simply be bumped up to rotation duty, or Reynaldo Lopez could again be stretched out to be a starting pitcher.
Hurston Waldrep was also activated from the 60-day IL yesterday and optioned to Triple-A, as Waldrep continues to build up arm strength after undergoing a February surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow. Spencer Schwellenbach underwent a similar surgery at the same time but isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break. AJ Smith-Shawver should be back around the same time assuming no setbacks in the righty’s recovery from a June 2025 Tommy John surgery.
Garrett Crochet Unlikely To Return Before All-Star Break
Garrett Crochet spoke to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters Friday about his health status, though the left-hander still didn’t have any clear timeline about when he might return to the Red Sox rotation. “I think it would take a huge leap to say I’d be back before” the All-Star break, Crochet said, as “I think that would be really rushing it” given that his rehab process will now have to be essentially restarted in the aftermath of a lat strain.
Crochet tossed six shutout innings on April 25 and was then (retroactively) placed on the 15-day injured list the next day due to left shoulder inflammation. After about a month on the sidelines, Crochet had progressed to facing live batters before the lat strain resulted in a throwing shutdown that has now lasted over two weeks.
The lat strain is now no longer a real issue, and Crochet said he is “getting close to throwing.” Understandably, the southpaw is frustrated “that I’ve been out this long” due to a confluence of two relatively minor injuries that overlapped at just about the most inconvenient time.
The best-case scenario would have Crochet ready to go when the second half begins on July 17, as the Red Sox face the Rays in a doubleheader. It remains to be seen if that twin bill may have much impact on the AL East race, as 12.5 games currently separate the division-leading Rays from the Sox at the bottom of the division standings. Boston is looking like a trade deadline seller as things stand now, and not having Crochet for several more weeks will make it even harder for the Red Sox to climb back into contention.
Between Crochet’s injury absence and Brayan Bello pitching so poorly that was optioned to Triple-A last week, the emergency of Connelly Early and Payton Tolle have been a godsend to the Sox rotation. With Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray also pitching well, the rotation hasn’t been much of an issue, at least not in comparison to the offensive woes that have been Boston’s biggest Achilles heel.
Brewers Place Coleman Crow On 15-Day IL Due To Flexor Strain
The Brewers placed right-hander Coleman Crow on the 15-day injured list on Friday (retroactive to June 10) due to right forearm flexor strain. Right-hander Craig Yoho was called up from Triple-A Nashville in the corresponding move.
The severity of the strain isn’t yet known, and the lighter variety of such flexor injuries would see Crow return to action in under a month. Beyond that best-case scenario, it isn’t out of the question that Crow’s 2026 season could be in jeopardy, especially given his past history of arm troubles. A Tommy John surgery cost Crow almost all of the 2023-24 seasons, and he was limited to 50 minor league innings in 2025 due to hip problems and another flexor strain.
It seemed like Crow had put his injury woes behind him when the righty made his MLB debut earlier this season. Crow has been called up to the majors three times in his rookie year — twice to make spot starts, and his last three appearances have consisted of two starts and a two-inning relief outing. This appearance out of the pen last Tuesday marked Crow’s last game before his flexor strain surfaced.
Crow has a 5.30 ERA and a tiny 11.8% strikeout rate to show for his 18 2/3 innings in the big leagues. On the plus side, his walk rate is a solid 7.1%, and his ERA was somewhat inflated by a particularly rough outing (six ER over 2 1/3 innings) against the Giants on June 4. While Crow’s time in the majors is a small sample size, the lack of punchouts is unusual considering the righty’s much more respectable 25.39K% over 299 1/3 career minor league frames in the Angels and Brewers farm systems.
Milwaukee has soared to a 42-25 record despite a number of pitching injuries, and Crow’s absence removes another rotation candidate from the mix. Brandon Woodruff (shoulder inflammation) has started a minor league rehab assignment and is expected to be back sometime in June, while Logan Henderson (back strain) is still a few weeks away. Quinn Priester‘s status remains up in the air, as the right-hander again had his rehab assignment put on hold as Priester continues to struggle in his recover from thoracic outlet syndrome.
Jacob Misiorowski‘s brilliance has helped carry the shorthanded Brewers rotation, and Kyle Harrison has also looked great in his first season in Milwaukee. Brandon Sproat has at least contributed 60 innings but with a 5.70 ERA, and Robert Gasser has a 6.38 ERA over 18 1/3 frames as a starter this season. Shane Drohan is slated to make his fourth start of the season today, and the rookie southpaw has looked pretty good in delivering a 3.11 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 7.1% walk rate in his first 37 2/3 innings in the big leagues (with 10 bullpen appearances along with his three starts).
The situation should improve itself once Woodruff and Henderson are back, and it could be that Crow’s flexor strain isn’t too serious. The Brewers have a knack for finding and developing rotation help from within, but if depth is still an issue in a month’s time, Milwaukee could consider adding a veteran innings-eater at the trade deadline.
The Opener: Misiorowski, Alvarez, Skubal
The Marlins are baseball’s hottest team, as a six-game winning streak has brought Miami back to a .500 (35-35) record. Friday’s 8-3 win over the Pirates saw Sandy Alcantara allow five runs and a walk over eight innings of three-run ball, while striking out seven. Alcantara’s impressive start included his 1000th career strikeout, with 992 of those punchouts coming in a Marlins uniform. Ricky Nolasco is Miami’s all-time strikeout leader with 1001, so Alcantara figures to set a new franchise record perhaps as early as his next start.
1. Miz’s masterpiece
Jacob Misiorowski‘s dream season continued with one of the best pitching performances in recent memory, as the Brewers ace faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 shutout of the Phillies on Friday. Kyle Schwarber‘s fourth-inning single made him the only Philadelphia batter to reach base, and Misiorowski quickly extinguished the threat by inducing Bryce Harper to hit into a double play. Misiorowski recorded 15 strikeouts and needed only 94 pitches to finish his complete-game gem, and an absurd 58 of those pitches reached or topped the 100mph threshold. Misiorowski has a 1.34 ERA over 14 starts and 87 innings this season, and he has been charged with just one earned run over his last 54 1/3 IP.
2. Yordan goes yard twice
If Misiorowski’s pitching numbers look like something out of a video game, Yordan Alvarez is posting his share of unreal statistics on the offensive side. The Houston slugger is hitting .321/.433/.659 with over 305 plate appearances, and his 24 home runs are tied with Schwarber for the Major League lead. Alvarez’s 23rd and 24th homers came in the first inning of Friday’s 10-8 Astros win over the Royals, as Alvarez also became the first batter in Astros history to record six RBI in one inning.
3. Skubal returns
For the first time since April 29, Tarik Skubal will take the mound for the Tigers. The reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is set to be activated from the 15-day injured list for today’s key AL Central game against the Guardians, capping off what seems to be a remarkable recovery. Skubal was expected to miss at least a couple of months after he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow, but the use of the new “NanoNeedle” scope during the procedure appears to have shaved several weeks off of Skubal’s recovery time. While the Tigers are still just 29-41, Detroit has a 7-3 record in June, and the returns of both Skubal and Casey Mize from the IL create some hope that the Tigers can continue to dig themselves out of their early-season hole. And, if not, Skubal suddenly becomes the biggest trade chip in baseball heading into the deadline.
Diamondbacks Sign Max Kepler
June 8th: Per the Associated Press, Kepler’s salary will be a prorated $780K, the league minimum. He can earn an extra $500K in roster bonuses. He would get $100K for spending 35 days on the roster, then $200K at 55 days and 75 days.
June 7th: The Diamondbacks announced a one-year deal with outfielder Max Kepler. The signing won’t yet impact Arizona’s 40-man roster or active roster, as Kepler is still on the restricted list while serving an 80-game PED suspension.
News broke last January about Kepler’s positive test for the PED known as Epitrenbolone, and with Kepler still on the free agent market, his camp and Major League Baseball worked out an agreement for Kepler to serve his 80-game suspension even if he didn’t land a new contract. Since Kepler didn’t sign until now, he has been serving his 80-game suspension as if he was still a member of the Phillies (his former team).
Philadelphia played its 65th game of the season today, so the final 15 games of Kepler’s suspension presumably now adhere to the Diamondbacks’ schedule. This makes June 25 the first day Kepler is eligible to take part in the 2026 season, so he’ll get a couple of weeks of ramp-up time in the minor leagues before making his D’Backs debut.
Financial terms of the signing weren’t revealed, but it can be assumed Kepler will be receiving a pretty small guaranteed salary prorated over the remainder of the 2026 campaign. Even before the suspension, Kepler was likely facing a tough market given his lack of production with the Phillies last year. He hit .216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs over 474 plate appearances, and even those modest numbers now come under the cloud of the PED suspension.
Kepler has provided almost exactly league-average offense over his 11 MLB seasons, as he had a 101 wRC+ from a career slash line of .235/.316/.425 over 1199 PA with the Twins and Phillies. Kepler posted a 122 wRC+ in both 2019 and 2023 and a 109 wRC+ during the shortened 2020 season, but he has otherwise been a subpar hitter in his other eight seasons.
The left-handed hitter has struggled against southpaw pitching for much of his career, limiting Kepler’s effectiveness as a true everyday player. Kepler has expressed some frustration over a platoon role in the past, such as last June when he said “I signed here [in Philadelphia] being told that I was going to be the starting everyday left fielder” after he wasn’t in the lineup for three straight games when the Phils faced left-handed starters.
While naturally more productive against right-handed pitching, Kepler hasn’t really been a righty-masher, as he has hit a respectable but uninspiring .240/.324/.446 over his career with the platoon advantage. Most of Kepler’s success against righties came earlier in his career, as he has batted just .237/.315/.408 in 1436 PA against righties since Opening Day 2022.
Beyond the offense, Kepler also contributed outstanding right field defense during his prime years as a regular in the Twins lineup. His defensive metrics, however, have dipped as he has battled knee problems in recent years, and the move to the seemingly easier left field position in Philadelphia resulted in +2 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average over 773 1/3 innings (which represented the first time Kepler had ever played left in his career).
Corbin Carroll obviously has right field covered in Arizona, so Kepler will likely act as a left fielder and DH against right-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks were known to be looking for left-handed hitting help, given that outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jordan Lawlar, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Tommy Troy are all right-handed hitters. By the time Kepler is eligible for reinstatement, Gurriel should be back from the hamstring strain that has sidelined him for last couple of weeks, and Lawlar (currently on a Triple-A rehab assignment) should be back from the broken wrist that has kept him on the IL for over two months.
It should be noted that Kepler’s salary is likely small enough that the D’Backs would feel comfortable releasing Kepler (or designating him for assignment) if he doesn’t produce. This seems like purely a depth move for the Snakes as they continue to try and figure out two-thirds of their outfield picture, and a bit of a flier to see what Kepler might have in the tank in his age-33 season. However Kepler might contribute to Arizona’s postseason chase, he is ineligible to participate in this year’s playoffs, as per the terms of PED suspensions.