Braves Profar Has Strong Start To Rehab Assignment

Jurickson Profar excelled in the lead-off spot for Triple-A Gwinnett Wednesday night. The Atlanta Braves outfielder went 2-for-3 with a walk and sac-fly RBI. It marks a promising start to his rehab assignment as he builds up to return from his suspension.

The success at the top of the lineup is good given the plans manager Brian Snitker has for him. He wants to have Profar batting in the top half of the lineup. Snitker hinted on Wednesday at potentially having him bat second behind Acuña.

When he returns, he'll likely slide into his usual spot in left field. The Braves haven't been able to figure out a solution at the position all season. Profar was signed to play that position, so there will be little issue having him take back over.

There's plenty of time to decide a full gameplan. This was his first game of quite a few coming over the next couple weeks. He's not able to be activated until July 2 when the 80-game mark in his suspension is reached.

He was at the end of March suspended following a positive test for performance enhancing drugs (also commonly referred to as PEDs). He tested positive for using Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps in the production of testosterone.

According to the Associated Press, he lost $5,806,440 of his $12 million salary and remained ineligible for the postseason. He was initially slated to return June 29, but delayed games have moved his return back by a few days.

So far, so good after the first game. He has plenty of time to make himself look really good and show he's good despite the PEDs. On the flip side, a lack of performance is only going to fuel the narrative that his All-Star performance was reliant on it. Even if he does well in Triple-A, he still has another hurdle once he gets back to Atlanta, and that's major league pitching.

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