Max Kepler, suspended in the offseason for PEDs, has signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will still miss 80 games and remain ineligible for the postseason, with a potential return after 15 Diamondbacks games.
Max Kepler’s return to the majors is lined up—but it still comes with a stubborn shadow from the past.
Kepler. who spent the 2025 season with the Philadelphia Phillies before being suspended for use of PEDs in the offseason. has now signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The agreement was reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. with the key detail that Kepler remains on the MLB restricted list.
Nightengale’s report spelled out the immediate reality for Arizona: Kepler “will still have to miss 80 games and is ineligible for the postseason.” The restriction matters because the team’s season is already at a tense point. with the Diamondbacks trying to stay close enough to make a run in the NL West.
Kepler’s suspension isn’t starting fresh. With the former Minnesota Twins outfielder having been a free agent. he was serving that suspension based on the Phillies’ schedule. Philadelphia has played 65 games this season, which means Kepler could become eligible after another 15 Diamondbacks games. If the timeline holds. that could put him on track for the series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. June 26.
It’s a big swing for a player whose production has often felt too valuable to keep waiting on. Kepler spent 10 seasons with the Twins before playing last season with the Phillies. Over his career, he has 179 home runs and a .741 OPS. His numbers spiked at one point in particular: in 2019. he slugged 36 homers and posted an .855 OPS as Minnesota set the single-season record for home runs.
Arizona is taking the gamble for that kind of impact.
The Diamondbacks could use power, especially from the designated hitter spot. Their current left-handed designated hitter, Pavin Smith, is hitting .125 this season through eight games. With no clear DH option already delivering. the decision to bring Kepler into the mix—however delayed—becomes easier to understand.
Timing is also shaping the stakes. The San Diego Padres’ collapse has Arizona in second place in the NL West. They are still 7.5 games behind the Dodgers, but the Diamondbacks see enough room to believe a push is possible. At this stage of the year, adding wins where they can is the priority. The question now becomes whether Kepler’s bat can take their offense to another level.
But even if he does what Arizona needs, there’s one hard limit in the way: if Kepler helps the Diamondbacks make the playoffs, he won’t be eligible to play.
That mix of opportunity and restriction is the tension at the center of this deal. Kepler is back—on paper, on schedule, and with the potential to arrive during a critical stretch—but the postseason door is still closed, no matter how close the race gets.
Max Kepler Arizona Diamondbacks PED suspension MLB restricted list one-year deal NL West designated hitter Pavin Smith Tampa Bay Rays June 26
So he’s suspended but still got a deal… makes no sense to me.
Wait he’s missing 80 games and can’t even play postseason? Why would AZ do this then, just to get him later? Seems like a weird gamble.
I don’t even understand how the “restricted list” works. Like doesn’t suspended mean he’s out the whole year? If he comes back after 15 games though, that means he can just jump straight into October right? Lol
PEDs shadow never really goes away. Even if he hits 30+ again, it’s always gonna be like… okay but how? Also AZ is already trying to win the division, and bringing in a guy who can’t play 80 games sounds like pressure on the rest of the lineup.