MLB news: Max Kepler suspended 80 games after positive drug test
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Free agent outfielder Max Kepler received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
Kepler, 32, tested positive for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of trenbolone. This substance is found in some products sold in bodybuilding stores and is used to stimulate the growth of cattle.
Kepler spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins after signing with them in 2009 at the age of 16. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
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Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler celebrates with teammates after striking out in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLDS Game 4 of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on October 9, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
He batted .216 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 127 games last season. Kepler has a .225 batting average with 179 home runs and 560 RBIs in his 11-year career.
The German citizen became the first player to be penalized for this article since 2005, when the details of the penalty were made public.
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Max Kepler of the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in Philadelphia on September 10, 2025. (Matt Rourke, File/AP Photo)
Kepler accepted the suspension without appealing the discipline through complaint.
Epitrenbolone was the substance that led to boxer Manuel Charr’s suspension in 2018. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the following year that a positive test for the substance led to 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove being disqualified from the world record he set at the 2018 Masters Track National Championships.
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Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Dodger Stadium on September 16, 2025. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
Last year, fourteen players were suspended for positive tests, including two from the major league program. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games on March 31, and Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games on May 25.
Even if Kepler doesn’t have a contract until opening day in March, MLB and the union generally allow a suspended free agent to serve out his suspension as long as he tries to reach a deal with teams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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