This is an ugly offseason for Max Kepler.
MLB suspended the free agent outfielder for 80 games for a performance enhancing substance, the league announced on Friday.
“The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that free agent outfielder Max Kepler has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a performance enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the statement read.
Trenbolone is an anabolic steroid used to promote muscle growth in cattle and is not medically approved for human use.
The 32-year-old, who spent last season with the Phillies and went on to the NLDS, will certainly see a massive blow to his value in the free agency market due to the ruling from MLB.
Kepler, coming off a one-year, $10 million deal with Philly, had a calculated market value of just under $7.6 million, per Spotrac — before his suspension for half of the 2026 season.
Across 127 games last season, he held a slash line of .216/.300/.391 while hitting 18 home runs and knocking in 52 RBIs.
Kepler is heading into his 12th season in the league after he made his debut in 2015 with the Twins, who he played with for 10 seasons that included two ALDS series.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
