Free agent outfielder Max Kepler hit with 80-game ban for positive drug test

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball announced on Friday, a ruling that sidelines the veteran as he looks for his next club.

The suspension stems from a positive test for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of the prohibited steroid trenbolone prohibited under MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The ban takes effect immediately and would apply if Kepler signs with a team during the 2026 season.

Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran who spent the first decade of his career with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Philadelphia Phillies last season. As a free agent, he was not under contract at the time of the announcement but remains subject to the league’s drug program.

In a statement, MLB said the suspension was issued following a violation of its jointly administered drug policy with the Major League Baseball Players Association. The league did not provide further details about the circumstances of the test or whether Kepler intends to appeal.

Epitrenbolone has been linked to past anti-doping cases across professional sports. In 2018, the substance was cited in the suspension of heavyweight boxer Manuel Charr after a positive test halted his title defense. It was also at the center of a US Anti-Doping Agency case involving a 90-year-old American cyclist who was stripped of a masters world record in 2020.

Kepler, a native of Berlin who holds the MLB career record for home runs by a German-born player, debuted with the Twins in 2015 and emerged as a fixture in their outfield, known for his left-handed power and steady defense. He was a key contributor to multiple postseason teams in Minnesota, including the club’s division-winning seasons in 2019 and 2020.

An 80-game suspension is the standard penalty for a first offense under MLB’s drug program involving performance-enhancing substances. Players suspended under the policy are ineligible to participate in regular-season games or the postseason during the suspension period and do not receive pay.