Profar, suspended 162 games for prohibited substances, sources

For the second time in the last year, Jurickson Profar has a suspension for use of prohibited substances; the first was 80 games

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance for the second time in the last year, sources told AM850 on Tuesday.

Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game suspension for performance-enhancing substance use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty for repeat offenders to a full season in 2014. He will forfeit his entire $15 million salary and will be ineligible for the postseason. Profar will not be able to participate in the next World Baseball Classicwhere he was to represent the Netherlands, whose team includes players from his native Curacao.

The loss of Profar is a 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 also got off to an inauspicious start with Profar’s 80-game suspension on March 31 for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone typically produced during pregnancy that can stimulate testosterone production.

After said suspension, Profar declared: “Because of my deep love and respect for this sport, I would never do anything to knowingly deceive it.” In a statement, the Braves then declared themselves “surprised and extremely disappointed,” but that they “fully support the program and hope Jurickson learns from this experience.”

Atlanta signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract last January, following his best year with the San Diego Padres. His suspension came after the fourth game of the season, and after returning in early July, he hit .245/.353/.434, with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs playing left field.

Following sports hernia surgery in the offseason, Profar was expected to move to designated hitter and slot atop the Braves’ lineup, perhaps second behind former NL 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 time in an all-hitting role), Profar’s absence further increases the onus of production in the first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies, center fielder Michael Harris II and free agent Mike Yastrzemski.

Profar, once baseball’s No. 1 prospect, debuted at age 19 with Texas and spent more time on the disabled list than on the field during his first five seasons. After alternating between Oakland, San Diego and Colorado, he returned to the Padres in 2024 and hit .280/.380/.459, setting career highs in home runs (24) and RBIs (85).

Suspensions for banned substances for major league players have decreased in recent years, with just two last year (Profar and Philadelphia reliever Jose Alvarado) and five in the last three years. Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended 80 games in January for a first-time violation. The last player suspended 162 games was Milwaukee reliever JC Mejia in September 2023. Since then, he has not played affiliated baseball. Other players with 162-game bans include Robinson Cano (2020), Francis Martes (2020), Marlon Byrd (2016) and Jenrry Mejía (2015), who subsequently tested positive for a third time and remains the only player banned for life for banned substance violations.

Profar has one year and $15 million left on his contract after this season.