It took one weekend for Max Kepler to prove Phillies fans right

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Philadelphia Phillies had a chance to start fresh and give fans hope for a strong second half. The four days off for most players is a good chance to reset. Among the Phillies hitters who could use a do-over this season, left fielder Max Kepler tops the list.

Unfortunately for Kepler, who's facing his last chance to prove to the Phillies he's worth keeping around, his second half didn't get off to a good start. It was downright brutal, actually. Kepler entered the All-Star break hitting .210 with a .678 OPS. Since May 1, the 32-year-old is hitting .178 with a .612 OPS. Needless to say things haven't been going his way since signing his one-year, $10 million contract.

On the weekend, during the Phillies' disheartening series loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Kepler dug himself into an even bigger hole with another abysmal performance. With Phillies fans already calling for his dismissal coming out of the break, Kepler just added more ammunition to their justification in demanding his release.

Max Kepler shows everyone that Phillies need to move on

In Friday's 6-5 loss, Kepler went 0-for-4, including a groundout into a double play for good measure. While that was bad, it got even worse as the weekend dragged on.

Kepler wasn't in the starting lineup on Saturday with Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi toeing the rubber. While Kepler filling a platoon role isn't noteworthy, how manager Rob Thomson used — or rather didn't use — his bench late in the game opened everyone's eyes to where Kepler stands in the skipper's eyes.

With the Phillies trailing by two in the sixth with the bases loaded, Thomson stuck with right-handed-hitting Johan Rojas against Angels right-hander José Fermin. The decision to leave Kepler and struggling second baseman Bryson Stott, both lefties, on the bench was about as revealing as a non-move can be.

The decision paid off. Rojas hit a deep fly ball to left to score a run on a sacrifice fly. The clutch at-bat helped spur the Phillies to a comeback 9-5 win.

Sunday's finale, which the Phillies lost 8-2, saw Kepler put up four more feeble at-bats, with a strikeout. For those keeping score at home, that's an 0-for-8 weekend, with his rear end firmly stapled to the bench on Saturday in the only situation he might have been used.

He heard the boo-birds early on after his second-inning groundout on Sunday. They didn't let up all game, although by the time he hit a soft liner to short for the final out, Citizens Bank Park had emptied enough that he got away relatively unscathed.

That didn't stop Phillies fans from digging in and doubling down on social media, with many calling for Kepler's immediate removal from the roster.

Whether the Phillies decide they've had enough before the July 31 trade deadline remains to be seen. They might wait until they've (hopefully) secured a more reliable bat via trade. Or they might say "see ya" right away and release Kepler (subscription required), as The Athletic's Matt Gelb hints, before cobbling together a rotation of Weston Wilson, Brandon Marsh and Otto Kemp in left until they can acquire someone at the deadline.

Either way, they'll be on the hook for what's remaining of his salary. As a World Series-hopeful club, they can't wait around too much longer. It'll be money worth swallowing, especially if you ask Phillies fans.

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