Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been handed a season-long suspension by Major League Baseball for the upcoming 2026 campaign, following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.

The ruling, announced on Tuesday, effectively sidelines the All-Star player for the entire season.

Profar’s latest infraction involved testing positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, substances not naturally produced by the body, as confirmed by the commissioner’s office.

As this marks his second offence, the suspension automatically extends to 162 games, encompassing the full regular season. The players’ association has since filed a grievance on Profar’s behalf, initiating an appeal to baseball’s independent arbitrator, Martin F. Scheinman.

This suspension follows an 80-game ban Profar received on 31 March last year, after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone known to aid testosterone production.

At the time, he issued a statement asserting: “I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

His agent, Dan Lozano, has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the latest development.

Profar will lose his $15 million salary for this year as part of a $42 million, three-year contract through 2027. He lost half his $12 million salary in 2025 due to the initial suspension.

Furthermore, the ban renders him ineligible for the postseason and the World Baseball Classic, where the Curaçao native had been slated to represent the Netherlands.

The Atlanta Braves expressed their profound disappointment in a statement, saying they “were incredibly disappointed” by the failed drug test.

The club added: “Our players are consistently educated about the (MLB Drug Prevention and Treatment) Programme and the consequences if they are found to be in violation. The Atlanta Braves fully support the Programme.”

An All-Star in 2024, Profar had a strong return from his previous suspension, hitting a home run on 2 July.

He concluded the 2025 season with a .245 batting average, 14 homers, 43 RBIs, and a .787 OPS across 80 games.

His 2024 season saw career highs with a .280 average, 24 homers, 85 RBIs, and an .839 OPS.

He had undergone sports hernia surgery in November, requiring a six-week recovery, and had appeared in four spring training games this year, going 3 for 10 with three RBIs.

Profar is now the seventh player to receive a 162-game suspension for a second PED infraction, joining a list that includes New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia (July 2015) and Cleveland outfielder Marlon Byrd (June 2016).

Mejia later received a lifetime ban in February 2016 after a third positive test, making him the only player to face such a permanent exclusion since drug testing with penalties began in 2004.

Four other players have already been suspended this year for positive tests, including free agent outfielder Max Kepler.

The suspension creates a significant void for the Braves, who had earmarked Profar as their primary designated hitter following the offseason signing of left fielder Mike Yastrzemski.

Potential replacements for the DH role include Drake Baldwin, the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year, once catcher Sean Murphy returns from injury, or Eli White.

The Braves are also contending with other roster challenges, including an injury to projected starting shortstop Ha-seong Kim, with Mauricio Dubon expected to fill in.

Profar’s absence could also open an opportunity for Dominic Smith, who recently signed a minor league deal.