The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on June 7 that they have signed outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year deal even though Kepler remains on the restricted list serving an 80-game PED suspension.
Kepler is still suspended after MLB announced in January that he tested positive for the banned substance epitrenbolone. Under the current timeline, June 25, 2026 is the first day he is eligible to take part in the season; a report also said he will be ineligible for the postseason because of the suspension.
Arizona’s move adds a left-handed bat behind Corbin Carroll — exactly what general manager Mike Hazen said the club was looking for. Hazen framed the signing as an attempt to boost left-handed power in the lineup; Kepler bats left and arrives with a decade of big-league experience, including ten seasons split between the Minnesota Twins and, last year, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kepler comes off a one-year, $10 million season in Philadelphia in which he hit.216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI in 127 games. He has been serving the 80-game suspension as if he were still a member of the Phillies; the Phillies had played their 65th game of the season on June 7, when Arizona announced the signing.
The decision to sign a player who cannot immediately be activated carries immediate roster and playoff implications. Because he remains on the restricted list, Kepler cannot contribute in the near term; Bleacher Report noted that the suspension also renders him ineligible for postseason play. That limits what Arizona can expect from the addition this month, even as the club sits 34-31 and prepares for a road series in Miami.
There is some nuance to the timing. Reports earlier in the year said Kepler would receive credit toward his 80-game penalty for games played with Philadelphia if he was not on a roster before the season began. Those game credits helped shape the June 25 eligibility date, but they did not remove the restriction that keeps him off the field until then.
Kepler’s own remarks from last season underline the unsettled arc of his career: "I signed here [in Philadelphia] being told that I was going to be the starting everyday left fielder." He left Minnesota for Philadelphia, then entered free agency and now joins Arizona while the suspension is still in effect.
The most consequential practical question for Arizona is whether Kepler will be activated straight to the big-league roster on or after June 25 or sent for a short minor-league ramp-up first. Reports say he may need a couple of weeks in the minors before making his Diamondbacks debut, but the club has not confirmed that plan.
What happens next is simple and decisive: Kepler cannot play until June 25, and the Diamondbacks must choose whether to carry an inactive restricted-list signing until then or give him game action in the minors before inserting him into the lineup. That choice will determine whether Kepler can provide meaningful help down the stretch — but it will not change the fact that his suspension bars him from any postseason contribution.
