MLB announced an 80-game suspension for free-agent outfielder Max Kepler on Friday for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs.
The commissioner’s officer revealed that Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a banned anabolic steroid. He can’t begin serving the 80-game suspension until joining a team and is ineligible for the 2026 postseason.
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Kepler spent the first decade of his career with the Minnesota Twins, belting 36 home runs in 2019. The left-hander batted .216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs in a platoon role with the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
The German slugger has paired a 9.7 walk percentage with a healthy 18.7 percent strikeout rate throughout his career. Last season’s 78.0 contact percentage and 11.6 percent barrel rate would also seem to support a higher batting average, but Kepler has frequently underperformed his batted-ball data with too much contact in the air.
Kepler still wields a .235/.316/.425 career slash line, and a .770 OPS against righties at least made him a candidate to land another part-time job. However, the suspension could deter teams from pursuing a player who turns 33 before Opening Day.
Kepler would presumably have to settle for far less than the $10 million he received last offseason to find a team willing to wait out his suspension and accept his playoff ban. He may not merit the hassle after registering a 0.6 fWAR last season with a below-average weighted runs created plus (90 wRC+) for the fourth time in five years.
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