Braves star Jurickson Profar gets full-season ban after appeal denied

Jurickson Profar is officially out for the 2026 season. 

The Braves outfielder’s appeal for his performance-enhancing drug (PED), 162-game suspension was resolved.

He will also be ineligible to play during the postseason.

It’s the second time Profar tested positive and was suspended for PEDs after receiving an 80-game ban last year, getting popped for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) after appearing in Atlanta’s first four games of the season.

Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves at bat against the Washington Nationals during the first inning in game two of a split doubleheader at Nationals Park on September 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

This time around, Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, per ESPN.

At the time of the first suspension, Profar proclaimed innocence, claiming he’d “never willingly take a banned substance.”

“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” Profar said in a statement 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.”

He is the sixth MLB player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty was bumped to a full season in 2014. 

Profar was set to enter the second year of a three-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Braves before the 2025 season. 

Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves during batting practice before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Truist Park on September 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images

He will forfeit his entire $15 million salary for this season. 

When not suspended last season, Profar hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 80 games for Atlanta. 

The former No. 1 overall prospect had a career season in 2024 before the PED suspensions, hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 long balls while making his first career All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger award.