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Braves' Jurickson Profar: Receives 162-game ban for PEDs
Rotowire
Profar will be suspended 162 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
It was announced March 31 of last year that Profar was suspended 80 games for a positive PED test, and now he is set to miss an entire season for a second failed test. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the MLBPA plans to challenge the suspension by filing a grievance, though it's highly unlikely it would be overturned. Profar -- who is in the second year of a three-year, $42 million contract -- had been set to serve as Atlanta's primary designated hitter this season. The club could mix and match in that slot now, at least until Sean Murphy (hip) returns, or it could seek help from outside the organization.
Braves' Jurickson Profar: Healthy after sports hernia surgery
Rotowire
Profar said Sunday that he's operating with no restrictions entering spring training after undergoing sports hernia surgery in November, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Though he wasn't known to be nursing an injury heading into the offseason, Profar said that he first began to feel discomfort in his core in September. He proceeded to play through the issue but then felt the discomfort crop up again early in his offseason workouts before opting for a procedure. According to Profar, he required six weeks of recovery time following surgery, but he's back to full health heading into his second season with Atlanta. Despite missing 80 games last season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in late March, Profar was one of Atlanta's more productive bats when available, slashing .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and and nine steals across 371 plate appearances. The 32-year-old made all but one of his 80 starts in left field in 2025, but he's expected to serve as Atlanta's primary designated hitter to begin the upcoming season after the team added Mike Yastrzemski in free agency this winter.
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Braves' Jurickson Profar: Expected to be primary DH
Rotowire
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that he expects Profar to be deployed at designated hitter often early in the season, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Profar will not be a full-time DH, as Weiss likes the flexibility of using others in the spot on occasion, but heading into the season he is viewed as the team's primary option. The switch hitter could shift to left field against tougher southpaws, with the lefty-swinging Mike Yastrzemski going to the bench.
