Twins get concerning Max Kepler injury update
The Twins might be without their starting right fielder for a while if this report is any indication.
Not even a week has gone by in the 2024 MLB regular season and injury woes have already begun to plague the Minnesota Twins. The Twins may have won their Opening Day tussle against AL Central foe Kansas City Royals, 4-1, but it came at the cost of the health of right fielder Max Kepler, who had to exit that game at the top of the eighth inning after hitting a pitch foul off his knee.
While the good news is that Kepler did not sustain a fracture in his knee, avoiding an injury that would have sidelined him for months, it’s still not looking good for the Twins right fielder. Even though Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that Kepler was “in the clear from a medical standpoint”, he still hasn’t overcome the pain to the point that he feels comfortable running, according to MLB.com.
To that end, it seems as though the Twins may have to put Max Kepler on the Injured List if he is still unable to play following their off-day today.
Given how early it is in the season, it is daft for the Twins to rush Kepler back if he does need a bit more time to heal. The baseball season is the epitome of a marathon, and there’s simply no point in sprinting early on and risking falling behind later in the race.
Max Kepler, an underrated (potential) loss
There is a legitimate possibility that the Twins place Max Kepler on the 10-day IL. After all, running is one of the most important parts of baseball, and if Kepler can’t run, then there’s no reason whatsoever for him to be on the field.
It’s not like the Twins don’t have some solid options to try and replace Kepler’s production in the event that he needs to miss more time. But Kepler’s consistency has made him a fixture of the Minnesota lineup for years.
Kepler has always had some solid pop, making him a force on the plate especially when he’s on a roll. Driven by his slugging, Kepler hasn’t posted a (non-COVID-shortened) season with worse than 2.0 WAR (via Fangraphs).
