Former Twins outfielder Max Kepler's career has gone south since he left Minnesota following the 2024 season. He hit just .216/.300/.391 over 127 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2025 season. After entering free agency, Kepler was suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games for testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a performance-enhancing drug.
Kepler signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks worth a prorated $780K in early June. After a brief rehab stint, Kepler was activated by the Diamondbacks on June 25. After the outfielder hit just .205/.262/.303 over 41 games with the Diamondbacks, he was designated for assignment by Arizona on Sunday. The Diamondbacks recalled catcher Adrian Del Castillo from Triple-A Reno as a corresponding move.
Kepler will likely clear waivers and elect free agency. He will still receive the rest of his salary for the season.
Kepler began his professional career with the Twins all the way back in 2009, signing a minor-league deal with Minnesota as a 16-year-old from Germany. He made his MLB debut with Minnesota in 2015.
From 2016-24, Kepler was an everyday player for the Twins. During his time with Minnesota, Kepler posted 20.5 bWAR with 161 home runs, 205 doubles and 508 RBI. He played a crucial role on the Twins' "Bomba Squad" team in 2019 that set the single-season home run record, hitting 36 of Minnesota's 307 home runs while posting a career-high 4.0 bWAR.
After a few down years following the 2019 season, Kepler had a solid 2023 season, posting 2.8 bWAR and an .816 OPS with 24 home runs. Unfortunately, his career spiral began in 2024, as he posted a poor .682 OPS over 105 games in his final season with Minnesota. He was once a strong defender, but his defensive metrics have declined with age.
What's next for former Twins outfielder Max Kepler?
At 33, Kepler may be nearing the end of his big-league career if he hasn't already played his final MLB game. A team in need of outfield depth could pick him up for the rest of the season, but he is ineligible to play in the postseason.
It'll be interesting to see if Kepler can land a contract with an MLB team in the offseason. He'd likely have to settle for a minor-league deal. Kepler could also consider playing overseas, which would likely allow him to make more money than if he played in the minors for an MLB organization.
Kepler could also choose to retire, as he's made more than enough money in his MLB career. Per Spotrac, Kepler has made roughly $53 million.
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