Atlanta Braves Jurickson Profar is currently facing a 162-game suspension due to testing positive for a performance enhancing drug.[1] The report states that Profar will forfeit his $15 million salary, and will be ineligible for both the postseason and the World Baseball Classic.[2]
Last year, the MLB suspended Profar for eighty games without pay because he tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG).[3] It is a fertility drug that is typically taken after steroids.[4] In 2009, Manny Ramirez was suspended for fifty games for using hCG.[5] Profar released a statement last year, “’it is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.’”[6] In the eighty games Profar did play in 2025, his stats were .245/.353/.434 with fourteen home runs and forty-three RBI.[7] At this point, it is unclear what drug Profar tested positive for this year.[8]
In 2014, the MLB increased their penalty rules for a second PED (performance-enhancing drug) offense, which is now a full-season suspension.[9] Profar is the sixth player to receive this punishment by the MLB.[10] This raises the issue of player safety and fairness in professional sports. While a full-season suspension is a significant consequence, hopefully the MLB’s penalty rule will deter athletes from taking performance-enhancing drugs.
[1] Dan Raby, Braves Jurickson Profar facing 162-game suspension for 2nd PED violation, reports say, CBS News (Mar. 3, 2026) https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/braves-jurickson-profar-facing-162-game-suspension-for-2nd-ped-violation-reports-say/.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] The Athletic Staff, Braves’ Jurickson Profar facing 162-game suspension for second PED violation: Source, The Athletic (Mar. 3, 2026) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7083768/2026/03/03/atlanta-braves-jurickson-profar-suspension/.
[5] Id.
[6] Scott Polacek, Braves’ Jurickson Profar Reportedly Facing 162-Game MLB Suspension for 2nd PED Violation, MLB Bleacher Report (Mar. 3, 2026) https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25402525-braves-jurickson-profar-reportedly-facing-162-game-mlb-suspension-2nd-ped-violation.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
Featured Image: Alex Butler, Braves’ Jurickson Profar faces 162-game ban for second PED violation, UPI (Mar. 3, 2026) https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/MLB/2026/03/03/Braves-Jurickson-Profar-162-game-ban-PED/3711772559688/.