Major League Baseball announced on Friday that free-agent outfielder Max Kepler has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Epitrenbolone. The 32-year-old, who played last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, accepted the penalty without contest. Kepler will be ineligible for the 2026 postseason if he signs with a team.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball confirmed the suspension, stating that Kepler violated MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Epitrenbolone, a metabolite of the anabolic steroid trenbolone, is used in some body-building products and for cattle growth promotion. This marks the first such suspension in MLB since public announcements of penalty details began in 2005.
Kepler, a German native who signed with the Minnesota Twins at age 16 in 2009, spent the first 10 years of his 11-season MLB career with Minnesota. He joined the Phillies in December 2024 on a one-year, $10 million contract for the 2025 season, where he appeared in 127 games as a platoon outfielder. His performance included a .216/.300/.391 slash line, 18 home runs, and 52 RBIs. He was slowed by left patellar tendinitis in 2024 and underwent core surgery after the season for a sports hernia.
Career-wise, Kepler has a .235/.316/.425 slash line with 179 home runs and 560 RBIs, accumulating 20.6 WAR. His standout year was 2019 with the Twins, when he hit 36 home runs, drove in 90 RBIs, and posted an .855 OPS—his career highs. He reached the 20-homer mark three times in Minnesota.
As a free agent since November 2025, Kepler can begin serving his suspension immediately, even without a contract, receiving credit against the penalty. If he signs for 2026, he will not be paid during the suspension period and remains barred from postseason play. No comment was available from Kepler's agency or the players' association at the time of the announcement.
In 2025, 14 players faced suspensions for positive tests, including two under the major league program: Atlanta's Jurickson Profar on March 31 and Philadelphia's José Alvarado on May 25 for exogenous testosterone from a weight-loss drug.
