Atlanta Braves outfielder and designated hitter Jurickson Profar will officially miss the entire 2026 MLB season after losing his appeal of a positive performance enhancing drug test, a ruling that also strips him of his full $15 million salary for the year.
Major League Baseball upheld the 162 game suspension on March 19 following Profar’s second violation of the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. As a result, he will be ineligible for the entire regular season, the postseason, and any international competition tied to MLB participation.
The latest suspension stems from a failed test earlier this spring in which Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, substances explicitly banned under MLB policy.
This marks Profar’s second PED violation in less than a year. In March 2025, he was suspended 80 games after testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone linked to testosterone production.
Under MLB rules, a second offense carries an automatic full season ban without pay, which explains both the length of the suspension and the forfeiture of his entire 2026 salary.
For Atlanta, the ruling creates both a roster and financial shift. Profar was entering the second year of a three year, $42 million contract signed ahead of the 2025 season, and was expected to play a key role as a versatile bat in the lineup, potentially hitting near the top of the order.
Before the suspension, Profar was coming off a shortened but productive 2025 campaign following his initial ban. In 80 games, he hit .245 with a .353 on base percentage and .434 slugging percentage, adding 14 home runs and 43 RBIs.
Those numbers followed a strong 2024 season with San Diego in which he earned All Star honors and reestablished himself as a high level offensive contributor.
Across his career, Profar has maintained a .245 batting average with over 120 home runs and nearly 500 RBIs, numbers that once positioned him as one of baseball’s most promising talents after debuting as a top prospect with the Texas Rangers.
Now, the focus shifts away from production and toward uncertainty. Profar becomes one of a limited number of players to receive a full season suspension for a second PED violation since MLB strengthened its penalties in 2014.
Looking ahead, a third violation would result in a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball, placing even more weight on what comes next in his career.
For the Braves, the immediate impact is the loss of a projected everyday contributor. For Profar, it is a pivotal moment that could ultimately define the remainder of his career.