MLB free agent outfielder suspended 80 games after testing positive for banned performance-enhancing substance

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that free agent outfielder Max Kepler received an 80-game suspension following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance.

Kepler, 32, tested positive for epitrenbolone, which is a metabolite of trenbolone. The substance is found in some products sold at bodybuilding stores and has been used to promote cattle growth.

Kepler spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Twins after signing there as a 16-year-old in 2009. Last season, he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler celebrates with teammates after scoring in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 4 of the NLDS of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Oct. 9, 2025. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)

He struggled last season, hitting .216 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 127 games. In Kepler’s 11-year career, he has a .225 batting average with 179 home runs and 560 RBIs.

The Germany native is the first player suspended for the substance since the public announcement of penalty details began in 2005.

MLB COMMISSIONER ROB MANFRED TEASES MAJOR MOVES HE WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE RETIREMENT AS HE EYES EXPANSION

The Philadelphia Phillies' Max Kepler during the eighth inning in Philadelphia Sept. 10, 2025. (Matt Rourke, File/AP Photo)

Kepler accepted the suspension without contesting the discipline through a grievance.

Epitrenbolone was the substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced