Max Kepler moving to Twins' bench Thursday

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against left-hander Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros.

What It Means:

Kepler appears to be receiving a routine breather after starting the last four games. He hit doubles in each of the last two contests but Kepler is just 4-for-34 (.118) over his last eight games. Rob Refsnyder is replacing Kepler in center field and hitting fifth. Jorge Polanco is covering leadoff duties.

numberFire’s models project Polanco for 10.3 FanDuel points and he has a $3,500 salary on Thursday. Refsnyder ($2,000) is projected for 8.3 FanDuel points. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Twins have the second-lowest implied total in the majors on Thursday night.