Max Kepler, one of the Philadelphia Phillies' disappointing free agent signings last offseason, had a 2025 campaign to forget. He's having an offseason to forget as well. On Friday, MLB announced that the former Phillies outfielder, who's currently a free agent, received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Epitrenbolone.
The news must come as a massive surprise to Phillies fans. We're still picking up our collective jaws over here after having watched Kepler stumble his way through his lone season in Philadelphia. Signed for $10 million, the Phillies were convinced that Kepler would bounce back from a down 2024 season.
As every Phillies fan will tell you, he didn't.
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
Max Kepler's PED suspension comes after a rough season for the Phillies
Kepler, 32, played 127 games for the Phillies and was initially handed the everyday left fielder job. He struggled to a .216/.300/.391 slash line with 18 homers and 52 RBIs. While his underlying metrics looked good most of the season, the results never really came.
He did improve after the trade deadline passed and he survived the roster shuffle, but it was marginal at best. Kepler slashed .228/.288/.428 in the second half.
It was difficult to watch most of the time, especially since Kepler was the Phillies' lone offensive addition, and a left-handed bat in an already lefty-heavy lineup to boot.
As yet unsigned this offseason, Kepler might have a tougher time finding a new team for the 2026 season after this latest news in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. While he will be eligible to return to regular season games after serving his 80 games, but as Phillies fans learned from José Alvarado's PED suspension this past season, Kepler won't be eligible for postseason play.
The Phillies' outfield is shaping up to be another rough unit in 2026, and while Kepler did insist that he'd like to return following the elimination in the NLDS, giving Phillies fans nightmares about what an encore season might look like, it didn't ever seem to be in the front office's plans. That's obviously for the best now, after Kepler's suspension.