Jurickson Profar’s Braves stint has gone from expensive gamble to full-blown mess, and the latest twist only adds to the damage.
Atlanta went after Profar after the best season of his MLB career, making him the club’s top free-agent priority. Instead of becoming the impact bat the Braves expected, he has become one of the organization’s most frustrating signings, with the story defined far more by suspensions than production.
The first hit came when MLB handed Profar an 80-game suspension after he tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a performance-enhancing substance banned under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported.
Then came the much bigger blow. Before the season even got going, Profar was hit with a second positive test, and this one brought a far harsher penalty.
“Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season in 2014. He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote.
That second suspension is what really made the situation hard to understand. A first offense can be chalked up to a mistake or a lapse, but a repeat offense changes the conversation entirely.
On the Hammer Territory Podcast, Scott Coleman said Profar went completely off the grid after the second suspension.
“Talking with people around the team. After Profar got suspended a second time for his PED violation, this dude disappeared off the face of the earth. Changed his cell phone numbed, nobody heard from him, players hadn't heard from him is what I was told,” Coleman said.
At this point, the Braves may simply wind up absorbing the final year of the deal. Either way, the whole episode has left Profar’s standing with the organization badly damaged, and his reported silence with people around the team only adds another layer to an already ugly situation.
For a former Silver Slugger, this is a rough fall. And for Atlanta, it’s a costly one too.
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