Jurickson Profar already caught the Braves off guard after testing positive for PED for the second consecutive time earlier this month. After his 80-game ban in 2025, this season, he has been suspended for a full season. The last hope was his appeal and MLBPA’s defense, but that, too, went downhill.

Profar’s appeal has now been denied, according to Jeff Passan. Even then, fans are enraged.

“Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 season after his appeal of a positive PED test was resolved. He will serve a 162-game suspension for testing positive a second time and will be ineligible for postseason play,” Passan shared via X.

Last year, after Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin after appearing for 4 games, the Braves termed it as “unfortunate” and unintentional. Even Profar himself said he would “never willingly take a banned substance.”

“Disappointment, disbelief. … A lot of guys were stunned more than anything else,” Braves manager Walt Weiss reacted after Profar’s second ban following his positive test for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites.

On the verge of entering his second year of his 3-year, $42 million deal with the Atlanta Braves, he became the 6th MLB player to receive the 162-game ban for a second violation since the penalty was bumped to a full season in 2014 for a second-time breach.

The former No. 1 overall prospect will now have to forfeit his $15 million salary this season.

The same thing happened in 2021, when Robinson Canó faced a full-season suspension without pay for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol. He had to forfeit $24 million in salary, and it damaged his Hall of Fame prospects, too. This came after his 80-game suspension for testing positive for Furosemide.

Last year, the Braves managed Profar’s 80-game absence with several internal and external outfield options. Names like Stuart Fairchild and Jarred Kelenic were brought in to fill the outfield gap, teamed with Bryan De La Cruz and Michael Harris II.

But now that the Braves are without Profar’s year of service, the franchise again finds itself at a crossroads.

Per ESPN reports, outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who is 9-for-17 (.529) with a double and four homers this spring, can enter the starting lineup alongside Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuna Jr. Last season’s NL Rookie of the Year, Drake Baldwin, may also get enough plate appearances as DH.

Yet, the Braves expected to get 2024-like numbers from Jurickson Profar.

His 24-homer, 134 OPS+ season in 2024 is his career best with the San Diego Padres.

Now, with one more year left on Profar’s deal with the Braves, fans are wondering if there’s any utility left. Playing just 80 games in two years, despite Profar not being eligible for a salary in 2026, is a lost cause for the team. And now, fans wonder why Profar would not get a stricter penalty!

Fans call for stricter penalty for Jurickson Profar

“Second positive… should penalties be even stricter at that point?” One fan asked.

“He should be forced to pay back all of his salary as well,” another fan suggested.

Unintentional consumption of PED substances didn’t sit well with many. The Braves invested $42 million in Profar for three years, of which two years are now lost. So, according to fans, Jurickson Profar deserves a harsher penalty.

“Just wondering, do the Braves have to pay his contract anyway after a second suspension? Could use that money to add something to the roster,” a fan remarked. Atlanta could have even signed pitchers, like Lucas Giolito or Nestor Cortes.

“Hopefully the new CBA will include a way for teams to dissolve contracts completely for players who test positive,” another added.

The current CBA guarantees a minimum salary to the players, even after penalties and a reduction in salary for the suspension. For instance, Profar would still be eligible for his 2027 salary. Hence, according to fans, the next CBA should include a clause for writing off the entire contract of a player for testing positive for PED.

“Early retirement,” another commented. Jurickson Profar is 33 now. He would return to MLB next year when he will be 34, with uncertainty around his form and another season of PED risks, probably. An early retirement could be a recommended step here, but that might bar Profar from his 2027 salary.

For fans, this suspension isn’t enough! Back-to-back offense and missing time with their favorite club do not justify the punishment depth!