With Jurickson Profar Out For ’26 Season With 2nd PED Suspension, How Will The Braves Adjust?

Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves has been suspended for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug (PED). 

This is the second time in Profar’s career he tested positive for PEDs. According to MLB rules, a player who tests positive for steroids twice must face a 162-game suspension, which is the length of a season. 

Profar had a career year with the San Diego Padres in 2024. He had a .280 batting average, .380 on-base percentage and a .459 slugging percentage. 

This career year helped Profar earn a three-year, $42 million contract from the Braves. Early last season, he tested positive for PEDs, which earned him an 80-game suspension. It’s unclear if Profar was using PEDs during the 2024 season.

Once he did return, Profar’s numbers did regress from 2024. In 2025, he had a .245 batting average, .353 on-base percentage and a .434 slugging percentage. Despite the decline, these are still very good numbers. These numbers over the course of an entire season would’ve given Profar the second-best season of his career. 

Profar’s suspension is without pay. The Braves will save $15 million this season. 

The Braves will need to rely on Mike Yastrzemski for the 2026 season. Yastrzemski was one of the best players during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, as he finished the season with a .400 on-base percentage. Although he hasn’t been able to be this good for an entire season, he’s still a productive player. He signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Braves this offseason.

The Braves will play their first game of the 2026 season on March 27 against the Kansas City Royals in Atlanta. The Braves are coming off a down year in 2025, when they finished with a 76-86 record, which caused them to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017.