Atlanta Braves star Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 MLB season after his appeal of a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs was reportedly denied.
Profar, 33, will now have to serve a 162-game ban after testing positive for a second time in his career, as well as forfeiting the entirety of his $15 million salary for 2026.
The news was revealed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday, who also confirmed that Profar will be ineligible for postseason play in 2026.
Major League Baseball suspended Profar for 80 games last year – without pay – after he submitted a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG).
He becomes just the sixth player to ever receive a 162-game suspension for PED use, after MLB increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season back in 2024.
Profar was an MLB All-Star with the San Diego Padres in 2024, before leaving to sign a $42m contract with the Braves in January 2025, two months before his first ban.
Atlanta Braves star Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 MLB season after his appeal of a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs was reportedly denied
Profar, 33, will now serve a 162-game ban after testing positive for a second time in his career
After his initial ban last year, Profar said that ‘it is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.’
The Braves, meanwhile, said they were ‘surprised and extremely disappointed’ but that they ‘fully support the program and are hopeful Jurickson will learn from this experience.’
For the Braves, Profar’s absence will come as a significant blow given they are already without starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep due to elbow injuries.
Last season, Profar returned to the team in July to make his debut, going on to hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs.
At the start of his career, Profar was the No 1 prospect in baseball, debuting at 19 with the Texas Rangers, but he spent plenty of time on the injury report.
He underwent sports hernia surgery during the current offseason, and was expected to shift to designated hitter and move toward the top of the Braves batting lineup.
Manager Walt Weiss will now need to rethink his 2026 plans again, though, with Profar now absent for the entire campaign.
When he returns in time for the 2027 season, he will have one year left on his contract and will be set to earn another $15m.