Max Kepler says Phillies broke their offseason promise: ‘The biggest challenge’

Max Kepler isn’t feeling the brotherly love he says he was promised.

The outfielder hasn’t provided the stability the Phillies expected him to bring when they signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, slashing .209/.300/.383 in 267 plate appearances after Philadelphia’s 2-1 loss in Houston on Thursday.

“The biggest challenge for me is not playing routinely,” Kepler told The Athletic. “That’s the biggest challenge. I was told I was going to be the starting left fielder.”

In the first 81 games of the season, Kepler started 60 times — and sparingly when it comes against lefties.

He has only started three times when a southpaw was on the mound, good for 10 hits over 49 plate appearances while striking out 10 times.

This distrust of Kepler’s abilities against left-handed pitching has made his season fragmented and inconsistent,

The Phillies, currently without injured slugger Bryce Harper, scored one run in the entire series against the Houston Astros

Other Philly sluggers Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanis, and J.T. Realmuto are having rather pedestrian seasons — but none have prospect Justin Crawford making a charge for their spot like Kepler does.

Crawford is lighting up Triple-A slashing .336/.413/.441.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of the possibility of a calling up Crawford.