Veteran outfielder and designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a 162‑game suspension after testing positive for a performance‑enhancing drug for the second time, sources tell ESPN.
The full‑season ban — the harshest penalty a player can receive under current rules — means Profar will surrender his entire $15 million salary and be ineligible for postseason play. He will also miss the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where he had been slated to represent the Netherlands.
Profar, 33, is the sixth player since 2014 to receive a 162‑game suspension for a second offense after MLB increased the penalty for repeat violations to a full season. The consequence underscores the league’s stringent stance on repeat performance‑enhancing drug use.
Career disrupted by PED suspensions
The suspension is a particularly significant setback for Profar and the Atlanta Braves. He began the 2025 season with an 80‑game ban for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone linked to increased testosterone production, and served that sentence before returning to the field.
After serving the earlier suspension, he posted a line of .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs while playing left field. The Braves had signed him to a three‑year, $42 million contract last January following a breakout season with the San Diego Padres.
Profar was expected to play primarily as a designated hitter and bat near the top of the Braves’ lineup, potentially in the No. 2 spot behind star Ronald Acuña Jr. His absence now leaves a massive hole in Atlanta’s offense.
Braves lineup adjusts without key bat
With Profar sidelined, the Braves will lean more heavily on players like first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris II. First baseman Drake Baldwin’s role may shift as catcher Sean Murphy’s eventual return opens up more lineup flexibility.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, a free‑agent acquisition, will likely take on a larger role in the lineup. The team’s coaching staff must now balance offensive production without one of the core bats projected to anchor the order.
PED enforcement and league history
MLB’s tougher penalties for repeat offenders mean that second violations carry a mandatory 162‑game ban. Profar joins a small group of players to reach that threshold. Notable players with similar penalties in recent years include Milwaukee reliever J.C. Mejía (2023), Robinson Canó (2020), Francis Martes (2020) and Marlon Byrd (2016). Mejía later tested positive a third time and received a lifetime ban.
Suspensions for major leaguers have generally declined in recent seasons. Last year saw only two major suspensions, including Profar’s and one for Philladelphia reliever José Alvarado. First‑time offenders such as free agent outfielder Max Kepler have been suspended for 80 games, the current standard for a first violation.
Legacy and the road ahead
Once one of baseball’s most promising prospects, Profar made his Major League debut at 19 and enjoyed flashes of early success. After bouncing between the Oakland Athletics, Padres and Colorado Rockies, he returned to the Padres in 2024 and set personal bests with 24 home runs and 85 RBIs.
Despite his talent and versatility, Profar’s career has also been defined by periods on the injured list in his first five seasons and now two major league suspensions.
With one year and $15 million remaining on his contract after this season, the suspension could reverberate through the final chapter of his career. The Braves’ hopes for the upcoming season will be tested without one of their marquee bats in the lineup.
Source: ESPN
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