On Tuesday, Atlanta Braves fans were dealt the unfortunate news that Jurickson Profar is once again facing a PED suspension. Not only did Profar's choices put the Braves in a difficult position with the start of the 2026 season approaching quickly, but they may have also ended his career and certainly damaged what was left of his reputation around the league. However, what stands out the most is the sheer stupidity of it all.
You would think that Profar would have learned his lesson from his 2025 suspension that cost Profar half a season. Presumably, you would think he wanted to keep his career going after his severe lapse in judgment and show that his first (and, to that point, only known) positive test was just an oversight and not a pattern of malicious behavior. That goal went out the window with his latest positive test.
Moreover, Profar's stupidity apparently reached new heights with his test results this week. Assuming all of the tests are accurate and above board (a fair caveat given that Profar is appealing his suspension with the help of MLBPA), Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone, which is arguably one of the easiest cheating methods to catch among PEDs.
Jurickson Profar's testing positive for a synthetic testosterone will make Braves fans feel even worse
It is one thing to test positive for a masking agent or something. There are other legitimate medical uses for a lot of those sorts of medicines, and while positive tests for those are still uncommon, there are plausible explanations for a positive test beyond cheating and trying to hide it.
However, after testing positive for chorionic gonadotropin (a hormone used to boost testosterone and very obviously a PED) the first time, Profar tested positive for what is essentially pure synthetic testosterone. If you were to pick a PED that would almost certainly raise red flags in a test immediately, exogenous testosterone would certainly qualify as elevated testosterone shows up bright as day, and the compounds in synthetic testosterone linger in the human body a while and are relatively straightforward to test for.
It defies logic that Profar and/or whoever is handling his care outside of the team would think he could get away with this. Maybe Profar and/or his handlers knew that he could not compete or stay on the field without PED intervention and the risks that come along with it. Maybe they just thought that MLB certainly wouldn't catch him for a second time so soon. There is also a possibility, however remote, that Profar didn't comprehend the PED rules explained that were clearly explained to him...or he just didn't care to follow them.
Whatever the reasons were, Profar is set to lose his entire 2026 season as a result, and that is going to cost the Braves an important bat from their lineup. Atlanta is going to have to find a way to get by without him, but his own hubris/stupidity might have cost Profar his livelihood and is definitely going to end up costing him many millions of dollars.