For the second straight year, an Atlanta Braves season is starting with the news.
Jurickson Profar has been suspended 162 games for breaking the league's banned substance policy, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The veteran outfielder is getting hit far harder this time around and will miss the entire 2026 MLB season after opting to violate the league's policy yet again.
While the first suspension could be shrugged off as a mistake or simply a player making one bad decision, there is no way around the impact and stupidity of this decision. Profar didn't learn from his mistake and opted not guard himself against what could be a career-changing mistake if he were to test positive yet again.
Now, not only has Profar ruined his own career, but he's also completely changed the Braves' lineup and given the franchise an obvious problem. Not having Profar as the designated hitter or to plug into left field makes the Atlanta lineup a clear question mark.
Looking at the lineup without Profar, there is no question that it is a less daunting team.
Already, the Braves were looking at starting the year without Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach, who both underwent surgery and aren't expected to be ready until deeper into the regular season.
The Braves needed to rely on their lineup to help carry them in the early weeks, and now Profar's arrogant selfishness has robbed the franchise of this opportunity, potentially opening the door for a split.
Jurickson Profar's Suspension Is Helping Him Speed Towards a Braves Exit
Profar opting to, yet again, endanger his career and the season of his team speaks to why the Braves are going to be forced to move on. Now, the franchise has to scramble to fill an obvious hole in the lineup despite free-agent and trade options being extremely limited due to a long offseason, giving every team plenty of time to load up their respective rosters.
Limited to 80 games (371 plate appearances) last season, Profar slashed .245/.353/.434 while recording 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, 48 walks, and a 1.1 WAR. It was a far cry from his 2024 All-Star performance, also giving Atlanta one less reason to tolerate his newest drama.
Profar has put the franchise in a position to struggle yet again at the start of the season. It was last year's suspension that set the tone for the collapse over the first month and left the Braves in a hole they would never climb out of. Repeating this mistake proves that Profar no longer deserves to wear a Braves uniform and should be jettisoned as the franchise finds a stabilizing answer.
Atlanta fans must hope the front office can work a bit of spring training magic and find surprise contributors. Otherwise, the season appears to be walking the same path as a year ago, and it's all because of Profar.
Hopefully, he learns from the lesson and applies it to wherever he ends up next, because he likely won't be a Brave for much longer.