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Alden Gonzalez
free agent outfielder max kepler Major League Baseball suspended 80 games Friday for violating its drug program.
MLB announced that Kepler tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance epitrenbolone.
Kepler, 32, spent the 2025 season as a platoon outfielder philadelphia philliesBatted .216/.300/.391 with 18 homers and 52 RBI in 127 games.
Before this he had spent his entire career with minnesota twinsWho originally signed him out of Germany, he accumulated 20.6 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement, had a .747 OPS and hit 161 home runs from 2016 to 2024.
A representative from the Kepler agency did not initially respond to a request for comment.
As part of a negotiated agreement with the league, Kepler is not technically required to sign before his suspension begins. If he is not on a team before the season, he will receive credit for his 80-game penalty through games played by the Phillies, a source with knowledge of the situation said. A league spokesman declined to comment.
However, Kepler will still be ineligible for the 2026 postseason.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan contributed to this report.
