Kepler went 1-for-3 in Saturday's spring training loss to Tampa Bay. He's hitting just .077 (3-for-39) this spring, but manager Rocco Baldelli said he's not concerned. "It's spring training, but everyone likes getting hits and when you're not feeling so hot at the plate, yeah, a hit like that will definitely help you," Baldelli told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "...When Kep gets to Opening Day, just like everyone else over here, everything starts from scratch."

EDGE Analysis

Kepler is set with the starting right field job, so his spring stats shouldn't be a worry. The larger concern is if he starts losing at-bats during the season to left-handed pitching. After hitting nine home runs with a .880 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2019, he didn't homer and posted just a .378 OPS against southpaws last season.