Mired in an 0-4 start after being swept by the San Diego Padres to begin the season, the Atlanta Braves now are poised to begin a stretch without Jurickson Profar due to a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a performance enhancing substance (PED) that violates MLB’s joint drug prevention and treatment program.
“We were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn that Jurickson Profar tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program,” the Braves said in a statement. “We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Jurickson will learn from this experience.”
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Profar’s 80-game suspension is effective immediately and thus means he will not play in this week’s series against the undefeated Los Angeles Dodgers. Profar also is going to miss the Dodgers’ visit to Truist Park, among other games, in early May.
Profar is in his first season with the Braves after signing a three-year, $42 million contract in January. It ended a somewhat surprising slow-moving free agency process for Profar despite coming off a career season with the San Diego Padres.
The 32-year-old went 3-for-15 with one walk and three strikeouts in four games against the Padres to begin the season. He was warmly received at Petco Park, which wasn’t a surprise given Profar played parts of five seasons for the Padres.
He capped off that stretch by batting .280/.380/.459 with career highs in home runs (24) and RBI (85) en route to earning a first career All-Star Game selection and Silver Slugger Award. Profar additionally finished 14th in National League MVP voting.
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The suspension means Profar won’t play at Dodger Stadium until the 2026 season. While he will return later this year, Profar is not eligible for the playoffs because of the PED suspension.
His last time facing the Dodgers as an opponent provided plenty of fireworks as Profar and fans in left field exchanged words after he robbed Mookie Betts of a home run.
It was the start of an emotionally-charged NL Division Series matchup between the Dodgers and Padres, that many believed the eventual World Series winner was bound to come from.
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