Profar's Appeal Denied, Misses 2026 Season

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 Major League Baseball season and postseason after his appeal of a 162-game suspension was denied, upholding the penalty for a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

The suspension stems from a failed drug test announced on March 3, 2026, in which Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, substances not produced naturally by the body. This marks his second violation of MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program within a year. In March 2025, he served an 80-game ban after testing positive for chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that aids testosterone production. Profar, a 33-year-old native of Curacao, initially grieved the latest discipline through the players' association to independent arbitrator Martin F. Scheinman. Appeals for repeat offenses occur after the initial announcement, and the process concluded without reduction of the penalty, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Profar signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in January 2025, following a career-best 2024 season with the San Diego Padres where he batted .280 with 24...