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Major League Baseball announced Friday that free agent outfielder Max Kepler received an 80-game suspension following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance.
Kepler, 32, tested positive for epitrenbolone, which is a metabolite of trenbolone. The substance is found in some products sold at bodybuilding stores and has been used to promote cattle growth.
Kepler spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins after signing there as a 16-year-old in 2009. Last season, he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler celebrates with teammates after scoring in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 4 of the NLDS of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Oct. 9, 2025. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
He struggled last season, hitting .216 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 127 games. In Kepler’s 11-year career, he has a .225 batting average with 179 home runs and 560 RBIs.
The Germany native is the first player suspended for the substance since the public announcement of penalty details began in 2005.
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The Philadelphia Phillies’ Max Kepler during the eighth inning in Philadelphia Sept. 10, 2025. (Matt Rourke, File/AP Photo)
Kepler accepted the suspension without contesting the discipline through a grievance.
Epitrenbolone was the substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the following year that a positive test for the substance prompted it to disqualify 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove from a world record he had set at the 2018 Masters Track National Championship.
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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 Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Sept. 16, 2025. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
Fourteen players were suspended last year for positive tests, including two under the major league program. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 80 games March 31, and Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended 80 games May 25.
Even if Kepler does not have a contract by opening day in March, MLB and the union usually allow a suspended free agent to serve his penalty as long as he is attempting to reach a deal with teams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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