On January 13, 2020, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Taubman had been placed on MLB's ineligible list through at least the end of the 2020 season. Manfred stated that as a result of an MLB investigation into Taubman's behavior, he had placed Taubman on the ineligible list on November 15, 2019 pending completion of an investigation into sign stealing by the Astros from 2017 to 2018. Taubman was interviewed for the sign stealing investigation and denied any knowledge of it. However, Manfred felt it was not necessary to delve further into Taubman's possible culpability for any role he might have played in the sign stealing, concluding that Taubman's "inappropriate conduct in the clubhouse" after the ALCS win was enough in and of itself to demand a lengthy suspension. Manfred sharply criticized the culture of the Astros' baseball operations department, saying that its emphasis on "results over other considerations" fostered an environment that led to Taubman's outburst and the Astros' initially "inappropriate and inaccurate response." Taubman was eligible to apply for reinstatement after the 2020 World Series, but will be permanently banned from baseball if he commits another "material violation" of MLB rules. However, there is no record of Taubman applying for reinstatement as of the start of the 2021 season.