The Atlanta Braves’ designated hitter has been suspended for 162 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday.
Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty to a full season in 2014 for two-time offenders.
The one-time all-star will forfeit the $15 million owed to him in 2026 and be ineligible for the post-season. He’ll now also be ineligible to participate in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, after he was set to represent the Netherlands.
Profrar was previously suspended for 80 games last season after testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that can encourage testosterone production.
Atlanta had signed Profrar to a three-year, $42-million deal last January after a breakout season with the San Diego Padres, finishing 14th in NL MVP voting and earning his lone Silver Slugger nod. But it was just four games into the 2025 campaign that Profar was hit with his near-half-season suspension.
At the time of his first suspension, Profar said it had happened unintentionally.
“It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it,” he said.
After returning from suspension in July 2025, Profar slashed for .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 80 games while playing out of left field. His expected shift to DH for 2026 was planned after Profar underwent surgery in the off-season for a sports hernia.
His absence is the latest blow for the Braves, who are already down starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep — both out due to elbow injuries — as they look to bounce back from a 76-86 season.
Profar is a past No. 1 MLB prospect and made his debut with the Texas Rangers at age 19. He’s since spent time with five teams over 12 seasons: the Rangers, Athletics, Padres, Colorado Rockies and Braves. He holds a career slashline of .245/.333/.398 over 4,095 at-bats.
