The Atlanta Braves have lost their most expensive offseason acquisition just five games into the season.
After testing positive for a banned substance, outfielder Jurickson Profar has been served with an 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball. Profar tested positive for chorionic gonadotropin, a performance-enhancing drug (PED).
In a statement following the suspension, Profar wrote that he would “never knowingly do anything to cheat.” But in retrospect, there were some warning signs around his on-field improvement. Profar posted a -1.2 WAR in the 2023 season before surging to a 24 home run, 85 RBI All-Star campaign with the San Diego Padres in 2024.
This past offseason, he signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves. Writing for The Athletic, David O’Brien noted that the Braves dismissed the warning signs about Profar’s PED use by pointing to workouts with former Padres teammate Fernando Tatis Jr.
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“Some red flags were raised around baseball, albeit whispers rather than public accusations, after Profar had a career-best season for the San Diego Padres in 2024,” per O’Brien. “But the Braves attributed his power and overall offensive gains to adjustments Profar made with his lower body in his batting stance, after working out with Fernando Tatis Jr. and his dad the previous winter.”
In 2012, Tatis was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for the Clostebal, another PED.
Now, the Braves are left to fill Profar’s left field position with a combination of Bryan De La Cruz and Stuart Fairchild, who the team added in a trade just before the suspension was announced. The Braves also signed outfielder Alex Verdugo late in the offseason and could promote him for some additional depth.
Even if the Braves are able to cobble together an effective lineup in Profar’s absence, the outfielder’s suspension means he will be ineligible for postseason play.
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