Jurickson Profar Suspension Adds to Turbulent Offseason

Jurickson Profar Suspension Adds to Turbulent Offseason

Profar is the sixth player in MLB history to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since the league increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season in 2014. He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary and will be ineligible for the postseason.

Profar will also be ineligible for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where he was set to represent the Netherlands. Profar was in the lineup ahead of their exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, Fla. When news broke about an hour before the game was scheduled to start, Profar shortly after left Ed Smith Stadium and his name was scratched from the lineup. 

The Major League Players Association plans to challenge MLB’s intent to suspend Profar for 162 games, but in the past with PED-related cases, the likelihood that this planned appeal would overturn this case is minimal-to-none.  

What This Means for the Braves

The Braves, in a statement said: “We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Jurickson [Profar] tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is in violation of MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Our players are constantly educated about the Program and the consequences if they are to be found in violation. The Atlanta Braves fully support the Program.”

Profar’s first offense came in the same month when he received an 80-game suspension on March 31 for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone typically made during pregnancy that can encourage testosterone production.

Atlanta signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract in January 2025 after he had a career year with the San Diego Padres. After returning from his first suspension in early July 2025, Profar hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs while playing left field.

This season, Profar was expected to bat towards the top of the Braves lineup and would have been an everyday player. Profar’s absence gives star Ronald Acuna Jr., first baseman Matt Olson, second baseman Ozzie Albies, third baseman Austin Riley, center fielder Michael Harris II., and free agent addition Mike Yastzremski a bigger responsibility to produce. Profar’s deal has one year and $15 million left. The Braves can now use the extra cash to sign current free agents still left on the open market to fill any holes. With starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldprep out with significant injuries, adding a starting pitcher is certainly of interest to the club.

Profar’s Suspension is Just the Latest Blow to MLB

This, of course, comes after an already turbulent offseason when three-time All-Star Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted in November 2025 on federal charges for a gambling scheme where they took bribes to rig pitches. Prosecutors allege the pair manipulated, specifically by throwing balls instead of strikes, to ensure gamblers won bets on their in-game performance.

MLB has worked hard to sell a new era. Younger stars. Faster games. A cleaner product. But when a PED suspension drops, especially on the heels of gambling-related indictments involving high-profile players like Clase, or anyone to that extent, it chips away at that progress. 

Baseball’s entire appeal is built on trust. You trust that what you’re watching is real. That the numbers mean what they say. That the outcome wasn’t influenced by something off the field. When that trust gets shaken — whether by performance-enhancing drugs or gambling scandals — it makes fans start to question things.

And the timing makes it worse.

We’re in an era where sports betting is everywhere. Broadcasts talk odds. Fans track player props. Money and fandom are more intertwined than ever. These things add up over time and every time something like this pops up, MLB has to try and rebuild a little bit of trust all over again.