Diamondbacks DFA Max Kepler, recall Adrian Del Castillo

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated outfielder Max Kepler for assignment on Sunday ahead of their series finale with the Houston Astros, the team announced.

As a corresponding move, the D-backs recalled catcher/designated hitter Adrian Del Castillo from Triple-A Reno.

Arizona signed Kepler on June 7 and activated him on June 25. The veteran outfielder had to serve an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance and will not be eligible to play in the postseason.

In 41 games, the left-handed hitter was batting .205 with a .565 OPS. He was signed to hit right-handed pitching, but he had struggled to do so with a .271 xwOBA (third-lowest on the team).

Kepler was in a 3-for-21 slump (.143 BA) over his last seven games prior to the DFA.

Del Castillo will rejoin the Diamondbacks for the first time in more than a month. The 26-year-old got his first 2026 call-up in early April before he was optioned to Reno on July 6. He came back up on July 18 before being sent back down on Aug. 5.

The left-handed hitter has struggled at the plate in 2026 after bursts of productive hitting throughout his first two years. Del Castillo has hit .199 with a .571 OPS across 59 games this season, with five home runs and 24 RBI.

After hitting .313 with an .893 OPS in 25 games in 2024 and .242 with a .682 OPS in 2025, Del Castillo was hitting above .300 through his first nine games in 2026 before falling to around the Mendoza Line since.

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