By Nicolas Mezzaucella
An 80-game suspension was given to Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). Profar is the most high-profile player to test positive for the steroid that helps boost testosterone production since Manny Ramirez tested positive for hCG usage in 2009.
Formerly the top-ranked prospect in all of baseball, Profar made his debut in 2012 with the Texas Rangers and has since bounced around teams. Profar signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Atlanta this offseason after having a career year with the San Diego Padres in 2024. Last season, Profar hit .280 and set career highs with 24 home runs and 85 RBIs. He was awarded a Silver Slugger Award and made his first all-star team in 2024.
Profar will serve his 80-game suspension effective immediately and will be eligible to return from suspension on June 29. If the Braves make the playoffs, Profar will be ineligible for the postseason roster in accordance with Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He will also lose around $5.8 million of his $12 million salary in 2025.
Profar referred to his positive test as the most difficult day of his baseball career, adding that he would never willingly take a banned substance but that he respects the MLB’s decision to suspend him. Profar was tested eight times for substances during his breakout season in 2024 and passed all eight tests. According to Profar, the positive test occurred before the season began.
“I have been suspended for 80 games … for testing positive for a banned substance this offseason,” said Profar in a statement.
In a statement posted to the social platform X, the Braves said, “We were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn that Jurickson Profar tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Jurickson will learn from this experience.”
With Profar gone for the next 80 games, the Braves will turn to newly signed Alex Verdugo to man left field. They also acquired Stuart Fairchild from the Cincinnati Reds for added outfield depth.
Manager Brian Snitker referred to Profar’s absence as “an opportunity for somebody else for 80 days.”
Profar’s suspension has been one of many things that have gone wrong for the Braves since opening day. They lost starting pitcher Reynaldo López to the injured list after he did not recover well following his first start to the season. The Braves also got swept in their opening series by the Padres and have dropped two more games against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the year 0-6.
The Braves will get back 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuña and all-star starting pitcher Spencer Strider in the coming months, but their poor start won’t help their quest to make it back to the top of the National League East. With the N.L. East shaping up to be among the league’s most competitive divisions, the Braves will need to start turning around their season before falling too far behind teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
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Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images.