Power has been no issue for Jurickson Profar post PED suspension

When it was announced at the beginning of the season that Jurickson Profar would be suspended for 80 games due to PED use, it felt as if the veteran completely swindled the Braves.

Profar signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Atlanta just months before the suspension was announced. He earned that contract with his performance in 2024, smacking 24 homers with an .839 OPS on his way to All-Star and Silver Slugger honors for the first time. By all accounts, it was a career year for the 31-year-old, but the Braves believed it was sustainable.

The PED suspension really muddied up the entire picture. Not only was Profar forced to miss 80 games, but it also raised questions about how legitimate his production was from 2024. Prior to his breakout campaign, he had just 35 homers in the previous four seasons combined.

However, since returning from his ban, Profar has done plenty to quiet those concerns. In just 48 games, he’s mashed 12 long balls after hitting two more in Wednesday afternoon’s win over the Marlins. That’s a 40-homer pace across a full season. Even if that level of power isn’t entirely sustainable, it’s clear that his 2024 showing wasn’t a complete fluke. Matching or surpassing his previous career-high of 24 homers now looks very realistic.

That’s quite a relief for the Braves, who not long ago had to feel pretty uneasy about their outfield outside of Ronald Acuña Jr. Michael Harris II was the worst qualified hitter in baseball by quite a wide margin in the first half of the season, and Jurickson Profar spent more time apologizing than he did playing.

Fast forward a couple months, and the two have been the primary catalysts for the Braves offensive resurgence in the second half of the season. Adding another outfielder in the offseason could still be in the cards, but the urgency in which it needs to be addressed has simmered considerably.