Outfielder Max Kepler, racing home for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 2025 playoff game, was issued an 80-game doping suspension by Mahor League Baseball

Outfielder Max Kepler, racing home for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 2025 playoff game, was issued an 80-game doping suspension by Mahor League Baseball

 Harry How

German free agent outfielder Max Kepler was issued an 80-game doping ban by Major League Baseball on Friday after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Epitrenbolone.

The suspension for violating MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program means that if Kepler signs with a club for the 2026 campaign, he would not be eligible for the playoffs.

Kepler signed a one-year contract last year to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he batted .216 with 18 home runs and batted in 52 runs over 127 games.

Kepler, the son of US and Polish ballet dancers who met at a Berlin company, spent 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins from 2015 through 2024 after being signed out of Germany in 2009.

After working his way through the minor-league development system, Kepler made his MLB debut for the Twins in 2015.

In 2019, Kepler had his career-best season in homers with 36 and runs batted in with 90.

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Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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