Brace for a major league shakeup: Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game ban after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the past year. The Atlanta Braves designated hitter, 33, would forfeit the full season of his $15 million salary and miss the postseason and the World Baseball Classic, where he was slated to play for the Netherlands. The Dutch team includes players from his native Curaçao, making this setback even bigger for both him and his countrymen.
This is a heavy blow for the Braves, who are already contending with injuries to key pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep as they try to rebound from a 76-86 campaign. Profar’s latest punishment compounds last year’s 80-game suspension for a ban that stemmed from a separate PED issue involving human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone linked to testosterone production.
Profar has maintained that he would never knowingly cheat the game, stating his love and respect for baseball. The Braves echoed that sentiment at the time, describing themselves as surprised and deeply disappointed, while reaffirming support for MLB’s drug program and hoping he would learn from the experience.
Atlanta signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract last January after he enjoyed a career year with the San Diego Padres. His suspension came just after the season began and, upon returning in July, he posted a .245/.353/.434 line with 14 homers and 43 RBIs while playing left field.
Following offseason surgery for a sports hernia, Profar was expected to shift to designated hitter and bat near the top of the lineup, likely behind Ronald Acuña Jr. The Braves have plenty of talent to fill gaps—Sean Murphy’s return will allow Drake Baldwin to take on more hitting duties, and veteran players like Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and newcomer Mike Yastrzemski will be relied upon to generate offense.
Profar’s path has been a rollercoaster. Once the top prospect in baseball, he debuted with Texas at 19 and spent several seasons dealing with injuries. After stints with Oakland, San Diego, and Colorado, he returned to the Padres in 2024, hitting .280/.380/.459 with career highs of 24 homers and 85 RBIs.
PED suspensions in MLB have trended downward recently, with only a couple of cases in the latest season and five in the past three years. The last 162-game penalty before this was handed to J.C. Mejia in September 2023, a suspension that effectively ended his affiliated baseball career. Other players previously hit with 162-game bans include Robinson Cano, Francis Martes, Marlon Byrd, and Jenrry Mejia—though Mejia’s case ended life-long consequences after a third violation.
Profar remains under contract for one more year with $15 million on the table after this season.
