Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the past year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season in 2014. He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary and will be ineligible for the postseason. Profar also will be ineligible for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where he was set to represent the Netherlands, whose team includes players from his native Curacao.
The loss of Profar is a significant blow to the Braves, who have already lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep to elbow injuries, as they try to rebound from a 76-86 season. The 2025 season started inauspiciously as well with Profar’s 80-game suspension on March 31 for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone typically made during pregnancy that can encourage testosterone production.
Following that suspension, Profar said in a statement that “it is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.” In a statement, at the time, the Braves said they were “surprised and extremely disappointed” but that they “fully support the program and are hopeful Jurickson will learn from this experience.”
Atlanta signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract last January after he had a career year with the San Diego Padres. His suspension came following the fourth game of the season and, after returning in early July, he went on to hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs while playing left field.
Following sports hernia surgery in the offseason, Profar was expected to shift to DH and bat toward the top of the Braves’ lineup — perhaps in the No. 2 hole behind former National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. While Atlanta has ample options to fill out its lineup — the eventual return of catcher Sean Murphy will allow reigning Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin to spend some time in a hitting-only role — Profar’s absence puts even more of an onus on first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies, center fielder Michael Harris II and free agent acquisition Mike Yastrzemski to produce.
Once the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Profar debuted at 19 years old with Texas and spent more time on the injured list than in the field during his first five seasons. After bouncing among Oakland, San Diego and Colorado, he returned to the Padres in 2024 and hit .280/.380/.459 and set career bests in home runs (24) and RBIs (85).
PED suspensions of major leaguers have decreased in recent years, with only two last year (Profar and Philadelphia reliever Jose Alvarado) and five in the past three years. Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended 80 games in January for a first-time offense. The last player suspended 162 games was Milwaukee reliever J.C. Mejia in September 2023. He has not played affiliated baseball since. Others with 162-game penalties include Robinson Cano (2020), Francis Martes (2020), Marlon Byrd (2016) and Jenrry Mejia (2015), who later tested positive for a third time and remains the only player banned for life for PED violations.
Profar has one year and $15 million remaining on his contract after this season.