So much for the “I would never knowingly” cheat claim from Jurickson Profar.
The Braves outfielder/designated hitter is facing a 162-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED) for the second time and in back-to-back years, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
The 33-year-old is set to be the sixth player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty for second-time violator got bumped to a full season in 2014, per ESPN, and is now ineligible for the 2026 season and the World Baseball Classic, where the Curacao native was set to play for the Netherlands.
While testing positive once is bad enough, Profar doing so twice in two years is a stunning development especially when he claimed innocence last time around.
Profar received an 80-game ban last year after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) after appearing in the Braves’ first four games.
“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” he said in a statement released by the union last March. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it. I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”
Profar returned to slash .245/.353/.434 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs, for the Braves in the first year of a three-season, $42 million deal, and will be forfeiting his $15 million salary for the 2026 campaign due to this violation. He still has one year and $15 million remaining on that contact.
Losing Profar is a tough blow for an Atlanta team that did little in the offseason following an injury-filled 76-86 season. He had been slated to shift to designated hitter this upcoming season, per ESPN.
Profar began his career in 2012 with the Rangers, and also spent time with the A’s, Padres and Rockies.
He’s a career .245 hitter with a .731 OPS, and made one All-Star team in 2024 with the Padres.
Profar is the first player to receive a 162-game ban since then-Brewers catcher J.C. Mejia in 2023.
