Unhappy Max Kepler says he signed with the Phillies to be the everyday left fielder: ‘That’s why I came here’

ATLANTA — Max Kepler stood in left field Friday during the Phillies’ first round of batting practice when manager Rob Thomson approached.

The interaction lasted only a couple of minutes.

Kepler is unhappy with his playing time. He said as much to The Athletic after Thursday’s game in Houston — where the Phillies scored one run in three consecutive losses — and doubled down a day later after the team arrived in Atlanta.

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“I signed here being told that I was going to be the starting everyday left fielder,” Kepler said before the series opener against the Braves. “That’s why I came here.”

Kepler made his 61st start Friday night, the Phillies’ 82nd game of the season. Entering the weekend, he had 267 plate appearances, tied for 63rd among all major league outfielders.

As Thomson put it, “I kind of consider that a starter.”

But Kepler’s issue stems from facing only three left-handed starting pitchers, none since April 2, and sitting for three consecutive games against lefties this week after the Phillies played 11 games in a row against righty starters.

Never mind that Kepler was batting .209 with nine homers and a .683 OPS entering the Braves series. Or that his production against righties — .205 average, .697 OPS — has been lacking.

“I think I play my best game when I’m getting routine and consistent play time,” Kepler said. “I’ve always gone through my ruts and gone through my hot streaks. Some might say I’m a streaky hitter. But I’d say the hardest thing to do in this game for me is to go play with inconsistent opportunities.

“That’s why I’m really impressed with the guys that can come off the bench and produce, that can play a game or two a week and produce like that. That’s something that’s new to me, and if that’s the role I’m given now transparently, I’ll take it on and hope to make the most of it.”

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When the Phillies signed Kepler to a one-year, $10 million contract last December, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said they planned “to have him play every day” in left field. They faced a lefty starter in three of the season’s first five games. Kepler started twice.

But the Phillies faced only four lefty starters over the next 23 games. And by the time they saw lefties more often, Weston Wilson returned from the injured list and gave Thomson a righty-hitting option in left field.

Thomson has used similar opportunities against lefty starters to get righty-hitting Johan Rojas and Edmundo Sosa in the lineup in center field and usually second base, respectively.

Kepler, who agreed to move to left field when he signed with the Phillies, conceded that he wasn’t ever told explicitly in spring training that he would play every day.

“Vocally, I haven’t gotten that shot,” Kepler said. “There has been windows of opportunity that have been given to us lefties, maybe some more so than others. But it’s kind of, you get that window of opportunity and you try to take advantage of it and you hope to do that without an extra load of pressure that you put on yourself because you don’t know if there’s going to be another window of opportunity to come.”

Kepler seemed particularly frustrated after Wednesday’s game, when lefty-hitting Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott started against Astros lefty Colton Gordon, but Kepler stayed on the bench.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had four days off in a row in my career,” Kepler said.

Said Thomson: “I hear the whole rhythm thing, and what I do tell these guys is, if you think that by having a day off, it’s going to ruin your rhythm, well, it probably will. So, you’ve got to figure that out and keep working and keep grinding and trust your ability.”

Upon further review, shortstop Trea Turner was charged with an error on a play that led to a run in the first inning Wednesday night in Houston. With the scoring change, Zack Wheeler’s ERA drops from 2.55 to 2.45. ... Top prospect Andrew Painter was scheduled to start Friday night for triple-A Lehigh Valley. ... Jesús Luzardo (7-3, 4.08 ERA) is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. Saturday against Braves righty Spencer Schwellenbach (6-4, 3.21).