The Atlanta Braves received an unfortunate update on Tuesday. The team is already dealing with multiple injuries, and on Tuesday it was announced that Jurickson Profar tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug for a second time. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, MLB officially announced that Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone. 

He is expected to receive a 162-game ban. Profar can still appeal the expected suspension. 

The Braves released a statement following the news.

Statement from the Atlanta Braves: pic.twitter.com/T95JTRNuNr

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 4, 2026

Braves Left in Difficult Spot After Jurickson Profar News

The Braves entered spring training with lofty aspirations for the 2026 campaign. They immediately received unfortunate injury updates, as it was revealed that both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were dealing with elbow injuries. 

As of this story's writing, Atlanta has yet to address its rotation, although Lucas Giolito is still available in free agency. Before Tuesday, it seemed as if the rotation was the only real question for Atlanta, though. Ha-Seong Kim's offseason injury led to uncertainty at shortstop, but Kim is expected to return within the first few months of the regular season.

Now, Atlanta has another question to answer with Profar likely to be suspended for 162 games. Profar was going to spend time at designated hitter. The Braves will now have to find a way to replace his production. Dominic Smith and Eli White are among possible candidates on the roster, or the Braves may look to add someone else via trade. 

One has to wonder if Profar will ever play in MLB again. Unless he appeals the suspension and is successful -- which is extremely rare -- he will miss the entire MLB season. At 33 years old, teams will likely be hesitant to add a player who has tested positive for PEDs on two separate occasions. 

From a performance standpoint, Profar was an All-Star in 2024. He finished the season with a .280/.380/.459 slash line across 158 games played. His 2025 season was cut short due to testing positive for a PED for the first time. Regardless, the Braves welcomed him back and were prepared to give him another opportunity. 

Now, Jurickson Profar's future in MLB is potentially in question. This situation leaves the Braves in an extremely challenging spot as well. They will attempt to replace him, but doing so will surely prove to be a challenge since most teams are not looking to make trades at this point in spring training.