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Diamondbacks release former Twins, Phillies .736 OPS outfielder
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- Diamondbacks release former Twins, Phillies .736 OPS outfielder
Diamondbacks release former Twins, Phillies .736 OPS outfielder originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the middle of a tight postseason race.
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The NL West club will need a strong finish to fend off the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
To do so, the D-Backs will need to make smart roster moves on both sides of the ball. On Tuesday, they parted ways with a 12-year MLB outfielder who returned to the field after an 80-game suspension.
According to the MLB.com transaction log , the D-Backs have released Max Kepler .
Kepler remained unsigned until June, as he was serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. He spent the 2025 season with the Philadelphia Phillies .
In 41 games with the D-Backs, the left-handed hitter slashed .205/.262/.303 with two home runs and a .565 OPS.
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At his peak, Kepler was a threat in the heart of the Minnesota Twins ' order. He smashed a career-high 36 homers and drove in 90 runs in 2019.
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That year, the Twins set the single-season record for homers in a season with 307.
Kepler's production has fallen off since then, and his reputation around the league may have taken a hit after news broke about his PED suspension.
Still, the D-Backs took a chance on the 33-year-old from Germany.
It didn't pay off.
