January 09, 2026
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images
Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium.
Max Kepler, an outfielder who played for the Phillies in 2025 after 10 years with the Twins, is suspended for 80 games this season for violating Major League Baseball's steroid policy.
The league made the announcement about Kepler, currently a free agent, on Friday, according to MLB.com Insider Mark Feinsand and other reporters.
MLB has announced that free agent OF 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
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 9, 2026
In its statement, the league said Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone. His suspension means Kepler not only will miss 80 regular-season games but will also be unavailable for the playoffs, which could severely jeapordize whatever market there could have been for the 32-year-old who, despite the positive steroid test, had his worst season at the plate in his lone season in South Philly.
Kepler batted slashed just .216/.300/.391 – well below his career averages – and hit just 18 homers, his second-fewest in a season in which he played at least 100 games.
At one point, after the Phillies traded for outfielder Harrison Bader at the deadline, it appeared the team would part ways with the struggling Kepler.
Manager Rob Thomson kept the left-handed hitting Kepler in the lineup against right-handers, and Kepler suddenly – and now, curiously – responded with a major improvement in August, slashing .273/.298/.491 with three homers and nine RBIs, his most productive month of an otherwise dismal season. Kepler hit four homers in September, the most for him in any month last season, but struggled in the playoffs, with no homers or RBIs in 12 at-bats.
If Kepler was using a performancing-enhancing drug during the season, he'd be the second Phillies player caught doing so, as relief pitcher José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games and the playoffs during the 2025 season for a PED violation.
That's a bad look for a Phillies team that won 96 games, its most since 2011, and repeated as National League East champions.
Alvarado is back for 2026, but the Phillies had already moved on from Kepler prior to Friday's announcement. The Phillies signed former Texans outfielder Adolis García to play right field and have said they'll give high-ranked prospect Justin Crawford an opportunity to be the everday center fielder while Brandon Marsh and Otto Kemp platoon in left barring any other moves.
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