Jurickson Profar, the designated hitter, will be unavailable to the Atlanta Braves throughout the entire 2026 season. The baseball organization confirmed on Tuesday that the 33-year-old Profar received a 162-game ban following a positive test for external testosterone and its derivatives.
This disciplinary action, stemming from Profar’s second violation, commences on Friday. The Braves conveyed their displeasure through an official declaration:
We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Jurickson tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is in violation of MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Our players are consistently educated about the Program and the consequences if they are found to be in violation. The Atlanta Braves fully support the Program.
On March 31 of the previous year, Profar’s system registered positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, an illegal compound. This hormone typically develops during gestation but can prompt testosterone synthesis in men. Consequently, Major League Baseball imposed an 80-game suspension on him and prohibited his participation in the playoffs, which the Braves failed to reach regardless, marking their first absence in eight years.
Irrespective of whether the Atlanta team qualifies for the postseason this year, Profar will be barred from participating, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, who additionally disclosed that Profar is disqualified from the forthcoming World Baseball Classic, an event where he was expected to represent a Netherlands roster featuring athletes from his birthplace of Curaçao.
Furthermore, Profar is set to surrender his $15 million earnings for the 2026 Major League Baseball season. Following this, he retains one more year valued at $15 million on the three-year, $42 million agreement he secured with the Braves subsequent to achieving an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger accolade during his tenure with the San Diego Padres in 2024.
Major League Baseball elevated the disciplinary action for athletes who commit a second performance-enhancing drug offense to a full season in 2014. Since then, a mere six individuals, including Profar, have been handed a 162-game prohibition for PED usage; Profar represents the initial player in this specific group over the last two and a half years. Preceding Profar, the most recent individual to incur such a PED-related suspension was J.C. Mejia, a relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, in September 2023, as reported by ESPN.
Upon Profar’s return to play subsequent to his prior ban last season, he concluded the year with a batting line of .245/.353/.434 across 80 contests, the initial four of which he participated in prior to the imposition of his first performance-enhancing drug prohibition. During this period, he connected for 14 homers and accumulated 43 runs batted in.
In the preceding season, while playing for the Padres, he established personal bests in several statistical categories, including a .280 batting average, a .380 on-base percentage, an .839 on-base plus slugging percentage, 24 home runs, 85 runs batted in, among other achievements.
Profar commenced his Major League Baseball career at the age of 19, commencing with the Texas Rangers. Early setbacks due to injuries impeded his progress in a career that encompassed stints with the Rangers (spanning 2012-13 and 2016-18), the Athletics (2019), the Padres (2020-22), the Colorado Rockies (2023), and another period with the Padres (2023-24), prior to his agreement with the Braves.
However, disciplinary actions have now cast a shadow over his tenure in Atlanta, a city where the Braves organization is currently experiencing yet another unpromising beginning to their season.
Their previous season, plagued by injuries, commenced with a 0-7 record. Prior to the commencement of any regular-season match in 2026, the team is already missing Profar, alongside starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, both of whom have undergone surgical procedures on their elbows.
