Rays broadcaster roasted Max Kepler after PED suspension

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Rays broadcaster roasted Max Kepler after PED suspension

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jun 28, 2026 1:46 PM ET

Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster Brian Anderson got a pretty good shot in Saturday at Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Max Kepler.

Kepler made his Diamondbacks debut earlier this week after serving an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test. He flashed some warning track power during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., flying out to the warning track in center.

Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins was able to catch Kepler’s fly ball with his back to the wall, prompting Anderson to get his shot in.

“80 games ago, that’s probably a homer,” Anderson said.

"80 games ago that's probably a homer."

Max Kepler just missed a home run and the Rays announcer brought up how Kepler was suspended 80 games for steroids pic.twitter.com/8TNVrpE9Hc
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 28, 2026

That is certainly one way to draw attention to Kepler’s suspension without being totally overt about it.

Kepler was an All-Star in 2019 when he hit a career-high 36 home runs. He has only topped 20 home runs once since then, though he did hit 18 for the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He was suspended in January after testing positive for a steroid that is intended to increase muscle and appetite.

We’ll never be able to prove for sure whether Kepler’s fly ball would have actually gone out before his suspension. We do know that suspension will follow him for as long as his career lasts, though.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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