MINNEAPOLIS -- If this is it for Max Kepler¡¯s tenure in Minnesota, he says he¡¯s at peace with it.

There¡¯s some chance that the longest-tenured player in the organization has played his final game in a Twins uniform, given Tuesday¡¯s news that Kepler will likely not return before the end of the regular season due to continued discomfort in the hip area that had complicated his recovery from what had originally been a left knee issue.

¡°It¡¯s not the way I¡¯d like to go out as a Twin, but then again, [stuff] happens,¡± Kepler said. ¡°The game comes with a lot of unexpected adversity and challenges, and I¡¯m proud of myself for what I¡¯ve done as an individual, as a teammate, as a friend to everyone in this clubhouse and in the past years prior.¡±

Kepler is bound for free agency this offseason and appears unlikely to receive the qualifying offer that would leave open a door for an extension to his Minnesota career. And if the Twins are unable to erase their one-game deficit to reclaim the final AL Wild Card berth, the clock would almost certainly run out on Kepler¡¯s 15-year tenure with the organization.

Kepler last played on Sept. 1, and at that point, he¡¯d already been dealing with the patellar tendinitis in his knee for nearly two weeks, during which the Twins essentially had to determine his availability on a day-to-day basis. Kepler said he believes the hip issue -- which he said could require offseason surgery -- was the origin of the knee problems, too.

Though he indicated that he was doing ¡°fine¡± after taking live batting practice against the rehabbing Chris Paddack on Monday at Target Field, Kepler said that the hip still ¡°doesn¡¯t feel great¡± and that the biggest hurdle to his return was not being as healthy as possible to help his teammates in this final six-game run with the organization¡¯s playoff hopes on the line.

¡°I¡¯d like to feel great,¡± Kepler said. ¡°I think at this point, with six games that are very crucial games to finish the season here, I think we want the guys on the field that have all the health and everything to give as opposed to, I¡¯d say, a horse who is a little banged-up and maybe not going to be tip-top right out of the gate.¡±

Indeed, Kepler had struggled to a .583 OPS in 22 August appearances before the Twins placed him on the IL on Sept. 5. Corner outfielders Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach have essentially been the club¡¯s only two above-average regulars in the lineup throughout the Minnesota hitters¡¯ collective malaise in September.

Kepler¡¯s issue is indicative of the overall beat-up state of the roster. The Twins rushed both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa back from the injured list to have them for the stretch run while monitoring their playing time, while Larnach recently played through a hamstring issue that clearly prevented him from running for several days while limiting him to DH duties.

If Kepler doesn¡¯t have a chance to return, it would mark a tough ending to the journey that began when the Twins signed him as an international free agent in 2009 as part of the class that also included Miguel San¨® and Jorge Polanco. After San¨® faded out of the league and Polanco was traded away last offseason, Kepler is the last remaining glimmer of that wave.

He started eight consecutive Opening Days in right field, matching Tony Oliva for most in club history. His 1,072 games played are fourth-most among outfielders in club history, behind only Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter and Oliva. He is Target Field¡¯s all-time leader in homers and RBIs, sharing the latter distinction with Hall of Famer Joe Mauer.

¡°I don¡¯t think I could have done much more as a kid from Berlin,¡± Kepler said. ¡°And I¡¯m not trying to prove it to anyone. This is proving to myself what I could have done. I¡¯m truly happy, and yeah, I just wish I could do a little more here now, but it is what it is.¡±

But he¡¯ll stay ready, in case there¡¯s still another chapter yet to be written.

¡°I¡¯m here in case they need me, in case we go deep into October,¡± Kepler said.