Chicago manager Joe Maddon had backup catcher Victor Caratini -- a rising player in Maddon's view -- hitting in the cleanup spot instead of a more established teammate with more power.
For Kapler, it brought him back to his last two seasons as an MLB player in 2009 and '10 with the Maddon-led Tampa Bay Rays team. Despite the struggles for Kapler, then a veteran trying to keep his career alive, Maddon was out to instill confidence that could only help.
That included hitting Kapler in key spots of his Rays lineups.
"He understands the game of managing people very well," Kapler said. "Good strategist, but also he understands how to inspire, how to make people feel important, how to make people feel seen. I was 23rd, 24th man on the roster and always felt important to Joe Maddon.
"I had no business being in the three-hole. But I knew that was just a way for him to build confidence."
Maddon's tactic is something that carried from Tampa to Chicago -- and part of what has endeared him to Cubs players. Similar to his managing of Kapler, Maddon is constantly working to keep players engaged in roles and create confidence that allows them to thrive.
The Cubs have a few cases of that on their current roster. Reliever Carl Edwards Jr., owner of a 9.45 ERA, is working to blend his pitching talent with confidence and has been inserted into key situations despite his struggles. The same has been true for right-hander Tyler Chatwood, bumped to the bullpen after losing his spot in the rotation in an ugly 2018 season.
Maddon has used Chatwood in high-leverage situations this season with the hopes that he can trust his velocity and movement more and find success.
Why is it important for Maddon to treat the 25th man on the roster the same as his stars? It comes from his days as an undrafted prospect in the Class-A level of the Angels organization in the 1970s.
"I was a really good football player, (but) I was a pretty pedestrian baseball player," Maddon said. "So, coming up through the ranks in baseball, I was that guy a lot. I appreciated guys that treated me that way too. But that's just the right way to treat people. Period.
"I recognized when a scout would come to town and only talk to the more elite players and would really not pay a whole lot of attention to you. Same with roving instructors. When a roving instructor would come to town and he would just call out certain guys for extra work but not you, I felt it.
"As a roving instructor -- you can talk to any of the guys I ever had -- I promise you everyone on that roster got work every time I was in town. As a manager even coming up in rookie ball, etcetera, the least of all got attention.
"All this stuff, it's rooted in my baseball background, where I wasn't by any means considered the best."
Maddon's methods have brought him great success as Cubs manager. He's 414-279 since arriving in Chicago ahead of the 2015 season. Kapler has carried many of Maddon's teachings to his own role as manager of the first-place Phillies.
On Monday night, Kapler called upon struggling 24-year-old reliever Seranthony Dominguez for the seventh and eighth innings of a game the Phillies led 3-1 at the time. Dominguez allowed three runs (two earned) and was on the hook for the loss at the time, but Kapler held no regrets for giving him a key opportunity.
Then there's a hitting drill that Kapler recalled fondly from his time in Tampa that included players hitting golf ball-sized baseballs that had extra distance in them. Maddon was always there watching -- even for the last guy on the roster.
"The idea was, I think, to hone in your hand-eye coordination, but also the ball went really far when you hit it," Kapler said. "It bounced off the seats in the outfield. Guys generally felt confident after doing the drill.
"I knew that it was his drill. That went a long way with me."