Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Max Kepler has been handed an 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball, stemming from a positive test for Epitrenbolone, a banned performance-enhancing substance. The suspension will also prevent Kepler from participating in the playoffs.
According to reports, Kepler was found to have tested positive for Epitrenbolone, which is included in MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. As a result of this violation, Kepler will miss 80 regular-season games, causing him to sit out several crucial matchups and potentially impact his already struggling season at the plate.
In the 2025 season, Kepler batted .216 with just 18 home runs, both numbers significantly lower than his career averages. Despite some improvement in August, when he slashed .273, Kepler's overall production was limited by an otherwise dismal season.
This suspension marks the second PED-related ban in Philadelphia this year. José Alvarado, a relief pitcher who played for the Phillies last season, received an 80-game suspension of his own. The Phillies have since signed outfielder Adolis García to play right field and are giving high-ranked prospect Justin Crawford an opportunity to be the everyday center fielder.
The 32-year-old Kepler, who was with the team on a one-year deal, had hoped to rebound from a tough season but now faces significant consequences for his involvement in the league's steroid policy.
According to reports, Kepler was found to have tested positive for Epitrenbolone, which is included in MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. As a result of this violation, Kepler will miss 80 regular-season games, causing him to sit out several crucial matchups and potentially impact his already struggling season at the plate.
In the 2025 season, Kepler batted .216 with just 18 home runs, both numbers significantly lower than his career averages. Despite some improvement in August, when he slashed .273, Kepler's overall production was limited by an otherwise dismal season.
This suspension marks the second PED-related ban in Philadelphia this year. José Alvarado, a relief pitcher who played for the Phillies last season, received an 80-game suspension of his own. The Phillies have since signed outfielder Adolis García to play right field and are giving high-ranked prospect Justin Crawford an opportunity to be the everyday center fielder.
The 32-year-old Kepler, who was with the team on a one-year deal, had hoped to rebound from a tough season but now faces significant consequences for his involvement in the league's steroid policy.
just heard about max kepler getting an 80-game suspension it's sad because he was struggling this season and i feel bad for him 
performance-enhancing substances are so frustrating - they can ruin a player's career like that 
i'm all for clean competition, but these suspensions seem kinda harsh sometimes 
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! I mean, I get it, PEDs are super serious and all that, but can't they just take one test without it being a big deal? Like, Max Kepler was already having a tough season at the plate and now he's gonna miss like 80 games? That's rough 
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. The Phillies are trying to rebuild their team and this just puts another hurdle in the way. And now they're having to sign new players like Adolis García... it's just a lot of drama 
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. now with an 80-game suspension to go along with it, it's gonna be tough for him to turn things around in the playoffs 
... i feel bad for the guy, he was counting on a rebound from last year's struggles 
. guess this means adolis garcia gets to shine in right field 
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its so sad to see max kepler get suspended like that, i feel bad for him and his family... 80 games is a long time and it's gonna be tough on him, especially when playoffs come around 
. i just hope he gets the help he needs and comes back stronger in the future 
. its always tough when players get caught up in this stuff, but at least they're getting the support they need now... fingers crossed for max 
Like, he's always been a solid player, but this 80-game suspension is huge for him - that's like almost half the season! 
And it's not just him, the Phillies already had another guy suspended earlier in the year too... José Alvarado got an 80-game one too 
. It's crazy how these things can add up and hurt teams' chances, especially with playoffs coming up.
, but sometimes it feels like players just can't resist the temptation 
... that's like missing half the year! 
I feel bad for him, 'cause he's not even supposed to be in the league anymore if you know what I mean 
. MLB needs to find a way to balance being strict with giving players second chances 
#MLBSuspensions #PEDsAreATotalDownfall
... I mean, Max Kepler has been through some struggles at the plate already, and this suspension is just gonna hurt him even more. 80 games is a long time to sit out and it's really gonna impact his chances of making an All-Star game.
... It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. But for now, I'm just hoping Kepler can learn from this mistake and come back stronger next year 
I feel bad for Max Kepler, he was already having a rough year and this suspension is gonna make things even tougher for him. But at the same time, it's not like it's fair to the other players who work hard every day and follow the rules. 80 games is a big chunk of the season, you know? It's gonna be tough for them to come back from that. 
. The fact that he was only using a performance-enhancing substance that wasn't even on the list of banned substances last year 
. I feel bad for the guy, 'cause he's been struggling this season anyway 
...
anywayz, 80 games is pretty harsh, feels like hes gonna miss out on alot of games... i wonder if hell come back strong next year or somethin' 