1 hour ago 1

Polarizing Phillies outfielder reveals what sparked offensive turnaround

The Philadelphia Phillies have seen the ebbs and flows of the 2025 season thus far. From their early-season struggles, to a slow climb back atop the NL East, to a scary sweep at the hands of the New York Mets, to now being in command of the division, there's been no shortage of emotions for the Phillies in 2025.

One of the more polarizing players on the Phillies this season has been free agent acquisition Max Kepler. He signed a one-year deal worth $10 million in the offseason and began the year poorly. There were calls for him to be cut by the team, and they persisted for some time. However, after the trade deadline, things began to change for Kepler.

His season began to turn around offensively, and he's become a core part of the Phillies' offense. After his five RBI game against the Mets, Kepler was asked what sparked this turnaround. On Pattison on Twitter/X shared Kepler's answer, which pointed towards the trade deadline as the impetus of what spurred this turnaround in 2025.

Max Kepler reveals when he began to settle into his role on the Phillies

"But I think after the trade deadline, everyone kind of takes a breather," Kepler said, "and now, we're here. This is who we have for the long run."

After the trade deadline, Max Kepler said the Phillies’ sentiment was, “okay, now we’re here. This is who we have for the long run.”

That allowed Kepler to fully settle in, and to buy in.

(via @AntSanPhilly) pic.twitter.com/D85UGA7VUp

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) September 11, 2025

Kepler described the trade deadline passing as a "sigh of relief," and in this case, it's a note worth mentioning. The Phillies acquired Harrison Bader to bolster their outfield, and there were rumors over whether Kepler would be designated for assignment or not.

But instead, in the days since the trade deadline passed, Kepler has been a different player. He has a .288 batting average with an. 866 OPs in the 23 games he's played in since the trade deadline. He's hit five home runs and has 17 RBIs to go with strong defense.

In the 94 games before the trade deadline, Kepler was hitting just .203 with a .655 OPS. He had 11 home runs and 33 RBIs, but his overall production was significantly worse than most had hoped for a $10 million outfielder.

MORE: Phillies' Kyle Schwarber receives $35 million free agent prediction

Right before revealing that the trade deadline was what spurred his turnaround, Kepler also delved into the mentality he had at the beginning of the year, and how that impacted his play for the Phillies.

"Me personally, I was trying to prove myself," Kepler said. "I played the game as more of an individual than I would say, for the team. Not in a selfish way, but being the new guy on a team, I was trying to do a little more than I'm used to doing."

With the trade deadline passed, and the Phillies holding onto Kepler, he had the belief of the organization to, at the very least, be a part of the team for a while longer. While he saw his playing time diminish slightly, he used the deadline as a breather to reset.

Based on his performance after the trade deadline, that breather was a huge one for Kepler. In the seven games so far in September, Kepler is hitting .320 with a 1.019 OPS. If he can continue to stay hot at the plate, then he could be a massive piece of the outfield come October.