Major League Baseball has handed down an 80-game suspension to Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the league announced Monday. The 32-year-old was flagged for chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone often linked to fertility and testosterone production.
It’s a major blow for both Profar and the Braves, who stumbled out of the gate with four straight losses to his former team, the San Diego Padres.
Once considered baseball’s top prospect when he debuted with the Texas Rangers in 2012, Profar never became the superstar many predicted. He instead carved out a role as a solid but unspectacular hitter with defensive flexibility. In recent seasons, he had settled into a more permanent role as a left fielder.
After signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Padres in 2024, Profar posted a career-best season — hitting 24 home runs, earning a Silver Slugger, and starting the All-Star Game. He finished as one of the league’s most productive outfielders, raising eyebrows with his sudden power surge. That breakout earned him a three-year, $42 million contract from Atlanta over the winter — their biggest move of the offseason.
But just four games into the 2025 season, Profar has been suspended without pay until early June. He is also ineligible for postseason play should the Braves make it.
Given the timing, many around the league are drawing a connection between Profar’s PED suspension and his unexpected 2024 breakout. Statcast data shows a sharp spike in his hard-hit rate and exit velocity last year — increases now viewed with heavy skepticism.
Profar is the first major leaguer to receive a PED suspension in 2025. Although positive tests have declined since MLB’s drug testing program began in 2004, concerns about performance-enhancing drug use still linger throughout the sport — in locker rooms, front offices, and the international market.
As with other players who’ve served PED bans, Profar may still have a path to redemption. Nelson Cruz and Fernando Tatis Jr., for example, managed to rebuild their reputations over time. Whether Profar can do the same will depend on how he handles the aftermath — and whether he stays clean moving forward.
Major League Baseball has handed down an 80-game suspension to Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the league announced Monday. The 32-year-old was flagged for chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone often linked to fertility and testosterone production.
It’s a major blow for both Profar and the Braves, who stumbled out of the gate with four straight losses to his former team, the San Diego Padres.
Once considered baseball’s top prospect when he debuted with the Texas Rangers in 2012, Profar never became the superstar many predicted. He instead carved out a role as a solid but unspectacular hitter with defensive flexibility. In recent seasons, he had settled into a more permanent role as a left fielder.
After signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Padres in 2024, Profar posted a career-best season — hitting 24 home runs, earning a Silver Slugger, and starting the All-Star Game. He finished as one of the league’s most productive outfielders, raising eyebrows with his sudden power surge. That breakout earned him a three-year, $42 million contract from Atlanta over the winter — their biggest move of the offseason.
But just four games into the 2025 season, Profar has been suspended without pay until early June. He is also ineligible for postseason play should the Braves make it.
Given the timing, many around the league are drawing a connection between Profar’s PED suspension and his unexpected 2024 breakout. Statcast data shows a sharp spike in his hard-hit rate and exit velocity last year — increases now viewed with heavy skepticism.
Profar is the first major leaguer to receive a PED suspension in 2025. Although positive tests have declined since MLB’s drug testing program began in 2004, concerns about performance-enhancing drug use still linger throughout the sport — in locker rooms, front offices, and the international market.
As with other players who’ve served PED bans, Profar may still have a path to redemption. Nelson Cruz and Fernando Tatis Jr., for example, managed to rebuild their reputations over time. Whether Profar can do the same will depend on how he handles the aftermath — and whether he stays clean moving forward.
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