Overview
- Major League Baseball said Kepler tested positive for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of the banned steroid trenbolone, under the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
- Kepler accepted the 80-game discipline without filing a grievance, according to the Associated Press.
- Under MLB policy, he will forfeit pay during the ban and would be ineligible for the 2026 postseason if he signs, and he can typically serve the suspension while unsigned if he is pursuing a deal.
- The 11-year veteran spent 2025 with the Phillies, batting .216 with 18 home runs after joining on a one-year, $10 million contract.
- The Associated Press noted this is MLB’s first publicly announced suspension involving epitrenbolone since penalty disclosures began in 2005.