Braves' Jurickson Profar reportedly facing 162-game suspension after second positive PED test in last year

The Atlanta Braves reportedly won't have designated hitter Jurickson Profar for the 2026 season. The 33-year-old Profar is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Last year, on March 31, Profar tested positive for a banned substance called human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone normally produced during pregnancy but, in males, can stimulate the production of testosterone. As a result, MLB suspended him for 80 games and ruled him ineligible for the postseason, which the Braves missed for the first time in eight years anyway.

Regardless if Atlanta makes it back to the playoffs this time around, Profar won't be eligible, per Passan, who also reported Tuesday that Profar will be ineligible for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, in which he was slated to play for a Netherlands squad that includes players from his native Curacao.

Addtionally, Profar will forfeit his $15 million salary for the 2026 MLB season, per Passan. He has one year and $15 million remaining on the three-year, $42 million contract that he signed with the Braves last January after earning an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger Award with the San Diego Padres in 2024.

MLB increased the penalty for two-time PED offenders to a full season in 2014. Since, only six players have received a 162-game ban for PED use, including Profar.

This story is being updated.