"Manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Kepler would pick up increased playing time against righties (link via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic). "At this point in the year, I'm going to put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win a ballgame," Thomson said. "There's still a bit of a rotation, if you want to call it that. If you want to call it a platoon, doesn't matter to me.""
"The Phillies haven't wanted to give Kepler playing time against left-handed pitching all season. He's hitting .196/.258/.304 without the platoon advantage. Castellanos will continue to get at-bats against southpaws. The outfield against righty pitching will run Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Kepler from left to right. Castellanos obviously isn't going to take more than a scattered start at DH or first base from Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper. He'll be relegated to a short-side platoon role barring an injury."
"That won't leave much playing time for the righty-hitting Castellanos. That's less about handedness and more a reflection of his numbers in the second half. Castellanos carries a .199/.253/.309 batting line since the All-Star Break. He had a sub-.600 OPS in both July and August. Kepler's season numbers are poor, but he's been the much better hitter in recent weeks. The lefty batter owns a .267/.318/.483 slash with a dramatically reduced 12.1% strikeout rate since the beginning of August."
The Phillies have increased Max Kepler's playing time against right-handed pitching, starting him in right field while benching Nick Castellanos in multiple games versus righties. Manager Rob Thomson is assembling daily lineups he believes give the best chance to win, treating the arrangement like a rotation or platoon. Castellanos has slumped in the second half, hitting .199/.253/.309 since the All-Star Break with sub-.600 OPS in July and August. Kepler, despite poor season numbers overall, has performed much better since August (.267/.318/.483, 12.1% strikeout rate) and added two hits and a home run tonight. Kepler sees limited action versus left-handers; Castellanos will face southpaws and spot starts at DH or first base.
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