The Atlanta Braves will not have designated hitter Jurickson Profar around for 162 games, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan.
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The longtime MLB insider broke the news on Tuesday while citing information provided by sources. Passan, who just signed a multi-year extension with ESPN, said that Profar had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time.
The 33-year-old will now forfeit his $15 million salary. He will not be eligible for postseason play, nor will he be eligible for the World Baseball Classic. If the Braves make the postseason, he will not be eligible to play while serving the full-season suspension.
Profar's last suspension occurred in March 2025, after he came to the Braves from the Padres.
He tested positive for horionic gonadotropin. Major League Baseball responded by shelving him for 80 games. He returned to the team in July 2025, but he remained ineligible for postseason play as part of MLB policies.
"We fully support the program and are hopeful that Jurickson will learn from this experience," the Braves said in a statement in 2025.
Profar closed out the 2025 season serving as a hitter and as an outfielder. He hit 14 home runs and accounted for 43 RBIs. He kicked off 2026 spring training with 10 at-bat appearances. He had three hits, two runs, three RBIs, two strikeouts, and one sacrifice fly.
Profar, who has one year and $15 million remaining on his three-year deal, will now miss the next 162 games while serving this suspension. He will become the sixth player to receive this sizable punishment from MLB after a 2014 rule change.
The other players who have received 162-game suspensions are Jenrry Mejia in 2015, Marlon Byrd in 2016, Francis Martes in 2020, Robinson Cano in 2020, and J.C. Mejia in 2023. Mejia is currently the only player with a lifetime ban due to PED use, which MLB issued after his third violation.
