Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will serve a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance — exogenous testosterone, specifically.
The Braves’ 2026 season is not all that Profar will miss, however. With the suspension, he is also barred from participating in the World Baseball Classic.
Profar had been expected to suit up for Team Netherlands, which was set to play an exhibition game on March 3. But less than an hour before first pitch, the Braves outfielder learned about his suspension.
According to The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, the reaction inside the clubhouse was immediate and shocking.
“Upon hearing the news, Profar abruptly departed Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., leaving his World Baseball Classic teammates stunned and his coaching staff scrambling,” Jennings reported.
Team Netherlands still went on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 8–5 despite Profar’s sudden absence from the lineup.
“I heard of it 10 minutes before we started the game,” manager Andruw Jones said. “On our side, it was disappointing because we were counting highly on him to be a part of this team for this tournament.”
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Braves Camp Left Stunned After Jurickson Profar Suspension
The scene at Braves camp quickly shifted once the suspension became public.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz described how quickly Profar seemed to disappear from the clubhouse.
“There was nothing left in Jurickson Profar‘s locker but a row of white hangers,” Mintz wrote. “No bats, no cleats, no gloves, no belongings, no evidence that the twice-disgraced Atlanta Brave had ever stepped foot in the club’s spring training clubhouse.”
“Even the nameplate above his cubby, sandwiched between those of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim, had been removed. For the second time in less than a year, Profar had become less than a ghost.”
The suspension marks the second PED violation for Profar in less than two years. He previously served an 80-game suspension in 2025 after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a substance often used to stimulate testosterone production.
Because this is his second violation, the punishment escalated to a full-season ban under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The timing is especially damaging for Atlanta, which signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract ahead of the 2025 season. With the suspension in place, Profar will forfeit his entire $15 million salary for the 2026 campaign.
New Braves manager Walt Weiss said the news caught him off guard.
“Yeah, look, I mean, obviously disappointed,” Weiss told reporters at Braves camp. “I found out about 10 minutes before it got announced, maybe five minutes. So still processing a lot of this.”
Team Netherlands Moving Forward Without Profar in WBC
The fallout from the suspension extends beyond the Braves.
Profar had been expected to play a key role for Team Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Instead, the club will now move forward without one of its most experienced hitters.
The Netherlands will officially open tournament play on Friday, March 6, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, where they are scheduled to face Venezuela.
The absence of Profar removes a veteran presence from the lineup just days before the tournament begins.
For the Braves, the focus now shifts to filling the hole left in their roster. For Team Netherlands, the task becomes preparing for one of the WBC’s toughest matchups without a player they had been counting on to help lead the offense.
Braves’ Jurickson Profar Left WBC Teammates Stunned With Sudden Move After Suspension