The much-improved White Sox enter January with questions remaining about a few spots on the roster. Despite significant additions to both the lineup and the pitching staff, the White Sox remain far from a complete team, and could be in the market for more reinforcements. Among the positions with questions remaining is the outfield- specifically right field. The White Sox have added a couple high-upside options in Everson Pereira and Jarred Kelenic that could see significant time in right field, but a veteran outfielder to provide depth could be a reasonable addition. One name I think should be of interest to the White Sox is former Twins OF Max Kepler.
Kepler, entering his age-33 season, spent the first ten big league seasons with the Minnesota Twins, where he faced the White Sox 120 times. Kepler slugged 11 home runs in 65 games at Rate Field during his Twins tenure, though the White Sox held him to a modest .727 OPS overall. Kepler has posted an OPS over .700 in seven of his ten full big league seasons, though his last two have been a bit disappointing. Kepler departed Minnesota prior to 2025 and signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he slashed .216/.300/.391 in 127 games. Although his slash line took a step back, he increased his home run total from 8 in 2024 to 18 in 2025.
KEPLER LOVES THE LAND!
That’s 5⃣ straight home runs vs Bauer for Max. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/Uw0OElejVw
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 13, 2019
Max Kepler’s 2025 season was stronger than it seems
Looking under the hood a bit, Kepler’s 2025 season is a bit better than it appears on the surface. His squared up percentage, barrel percentage, and average exit velocity were all above league average. Kepler walked at a 10% clip, ranking in the 72nd percentile in baseball. His xBA of .246 came in quite a bit higher than his actual .216 mark, implying some bad luck may have been involved. He’s posted a career .770 OPS against right-handed pitching, and his numbers take a dip against lefties. At this stage in his career, Kepler may be more of a platoon option at the plate, but he represents a solid left-handed presence against righties and could match up well as a partner for right-handed hitting Everson Pereria.
Defensively, Kepler ranked around league average in OAA, which measures range. His arm ranked slightly below average, and he’s not more than an average runner at this point in his career. It would still represent an upgrade over Mike Tauchman, who held down the right field duties in 2025 and ranked near the bottom in most defensive categories.
Kepler will be 33 for the entirety of the 2025 season, and should still have more left in the tank despite a long MLB career. His underlying numbers suggest his down season in 2025 could’ve been an outlier and he’ll look to tap into the power and productivity that made him a lineup mainstay for the Twins for many seasons.
The White Sox may elect to invest the remainder of their resources in the pitching staff and roll with a Kelenic/Pereira platoon in the outfield, but depth is never a bad thing. If the White Sox are going to pursue a modestly-priced upgrade in right field, Kepler might be the most intriguing option on the board.
More than a month remains until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, so the White Sox have plenty of time to continue making upgrades and finalize the roster. We’ll see if a former division-rival is the next addition to an exciting White Sox ballclub.
