Free-agent OF Max Kepler suspended 80 games for positive PED test
Kepler is coming off a down season with the Phillies, in which he hit just .216/.300/.391 with 18 homers.
Max Kepler hit 18 home runs in 127 games with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. Bill Streicher / Imagn Images
Max Kepler has been suspended for 80 games after the veteran outfielder tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Epitrenbolone, Major League Baseball announced on Friday.
Kepler, 32, is a free agent. In 2025, he played 127 games in his lone season with the Philadelphia Phillies, which came after a decade with the Minnesota Twins following his debut in 2015. The lefty-swinging corner outfielder has slashed .235/.316/.425 during his career with 179 homers. Much of that production came against right-handed pitching.
Kepler is coming off a down season with the Phillies, in which he hit just .216/.300/.391 with 18 homers. His OPS+ of 88 was the lowest of his career.
Marc Carig is the senior managing editor for The Athletic's MLB desk. Before moving to national MLB coverage in 2019, he spent the previous 11 seasons covering the Orioles (’08), Mets (’12-’17) and Yankees (’09-’12, ’18). His work has appeared in Baseball Prospectus, the Newark Star-Ledger, Newsday, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post. Follow Marc on Twitter @MarcCarig