The Atlanta Braves are set to be without designated hitter Jurickson Profar for the entire season after he was suspended for a performance-enhancing drug. Profar tried to appeal the suspension, but he did not win, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
“Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 season after his appeal of a positive PED test was resolved. He will serve a 162-game suspension for testing positive a second time and will be ineligible for postseason play,” Passan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites. He's the sixth player to receive a full-season ban for using PEDs since MLB increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season. Profar will now have to forfeit his entire salary and won't be able to play in the postseason.
The Braves signed Profar to a three-year contract in January 2025 after a big season with the San Diego Padres. He was suspended the first time after the fourth game of the season for human chorionic gonadotropin, which is a hormone made during pregnancy that encourages the production of testosterone.
Profar said in a statement following that suspension that “it is because my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.”
The Braves were looking to be at full strength coming into this season after a dreadful previous season. Starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep have elbow injuries, so it will be interesting to see how they navigate the season with their current rotation.
There is still a lot to be excited about for the Braves, as Ronald Acuna Jr. is healthy coming into the season, and he showed during the World Baseball Classic that he's ready to compete at a high level.
