Major League Baseball announced a 162-game suspension for Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar on Tuesday, but the Players Association is pressing forward with an appeal, according to people briefed on the union’s plans.
The league said Profar’s suspension will begin on Friday. Penalties for first-time offenders under baseball’s Joint Drug Agreement are “stayed” until the appeal is heard. Profar as a second-time offender is permitted to appeal, but without a stay. His appeal will now be expedited, one source said.
Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday night. This is Profar’s second performance-enhancing drug violation in a year, and with it comes an automatic full-season suspension.
Profar missed 80 games during the 2025 season after he was suspended after the fourth game following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). It’s a fertility drug often taken after steroids, and it’s the same drug Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games for using in 2009.
“We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Jurickson tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is in violation of MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the Braves said Tuesday in a statement. “Our players are consistently educated about the Program and the consequences if they are found to be in violation. The Atlanta Braves fully support the Program.”
The 33-year-old, who signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Atlanta in January 2025, appeared in 76 games after returning from his suspension on July 2, putting together a .245/.353/.434 statline with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs on the season. He was expected to play a pivotal role for a Braves team that is already facing a depth issue on the pitching side with the loss of starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep to long-term injuries.
Profar was due to earn $15 million in salary, but the Braves would save $18 million as they were over the luxury tax threshold, paying 20 percent on every dollar they were over.
In a statement following his positive test in 2025, Profar noted, “I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision. I am devastated that I won’t be on the field with my teammates for the next 80 games. I look forward to competing again at the highest level this season upon my return.”