The commissioner’s officer revealed that Kepler tested positive for epitrebolone, a banned anabolic steroid. He cannot begin serving the 80-game suspension until he joins a team and is ineligible for the 2026 postseason.
Advertisement
Kepler spent the first decade of his career with the Minnesota Twins, hitting 36 home runs in 2019. The left-hander hit .216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs in a platoon role with the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
The German slugger has combined 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 has a career .235/.316/.425 batting line, and a .770 OPS against right-handers at least made him a candidate for another part-time job. However, the suspension could discourage teams from pursuing a player who turns 33 before Opening Day.
Kepler would presumably have to settle for much 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 be worth the hassle after posting a 0.6 fWAR last season with runs created plus weighted below average (90 wRC+) for the fourth time in five years.
More Major Leagues:
Yankees claim former Red Sox reliever off waivers of his American League teammate