Kepler, whose career stats have sharply declined, has failed a drug test and is suspended for 80 games.

Major League Baseball (MLB) revealed today that Max Kepler, an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies last season, was found to have the metabolite Epitrenbolone of the anabolic steroid Trenbolone in his system and will be suspended for 80 games.

Kepler is currently a free agent, and his suspension will begin once he signs a new contract; he will also be ineligible to participate in the postseason during the suspension period.

Approaching his 33rd birthday in February, Kepler has appeared in 1,199 career games, recording a slash line of .235/.316/.425 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) over 4,725 plate appearances, hitting 179 home runs, with a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 101, which is close to the league average.

During the 2023 season with the Minnesota Twins, he delivered a strong offensive performance with a wRC+ of 122 over 130 games, hitting 24 home runs, both career single-season highs. However, his performance declined the following year, with a wRC+ of only 93 and just 8 home runs in 105 games.

Last year, Kepler signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent, but his performance continued to decline. In 127 games and 474 plate appearances, he hit 18 home runs, but his wRC+ dropped to 90 (the worst since his rookie season), and his on-base percentage and weighted on-base average (wOBA) both hit career lows at .300. Unexpectedly, after becoming a free agent, news broke about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.