Braves uncertain of Jurickson Profar’s future with team

The Braves have a decision looming with disgraced outfielder Jurickson Profar, who returns from his second suspension relating to performance-enhancing substances in as many years.

Profar, who turns 34 in February, has one year and $15 million remaining on his three-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Braves in January 2025. The signing is regarded among the worst in franchise history, though the Braves have at least saved a sizable chunk of the cash because of his suspensions.

Profar was first suspended 80 games shortly after opening day 2025 after testing positive for chorionic gonadotropin. He was suspended again for the entire 2026 campaign after testing positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites in the spring. He became the sixth two-time offender to receive a full-season ban under MLB’s policy.

He’ll be eligible to rejoin his team whenever preparations begin for the 2027 season, but it’s fair to wonder if the Braves will welcome him back.

“This is now the time to have those discussions,” president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said. “We’re going to have to sit and talk internally across the board about the whole thing.”

Profar was out of sight and out of mind as the Braves focused on their season. His contract must now be part of the team’s calculation as it assembles its next club.

It’ll be a tough sell to the clubhouse if Profar returns. He did the whole song and dance with his teammates after his first suspension. They gave him the opportunity to move past it. They supported him, setting their previous frustrations aside.

Profar followed with spurts of good play, enough that the Braves believed he could be an impactful part of the 2026 club. Then he betrayed them again.

The case for Profar returning is simple to explain. No team wants to eat $15 million. It’s extremely unlikely the Braves can find a trade for him, even less likely one that wouldn’t involve adding more long-term salary (speculatively speaking, perhaps a team that would consider him is San Diego, which always had an affinity for Profar and extracted the most out of him).

Although his foolish antics soured his relationship with the franchise, Profar the player profiles as an on-base hitter the club lacks. He was player of the month in August 2025, bringing the vision of his acquisition to life if only for a brief time atop the lineup. He has a .787 OPS as a Brave, which would have helped this year but is inflated by his 1.026 mark in that scorching-hot August (29 games). Profar had a .709 OPS in July (24 games) and ended with a .625 mark in September (23 games) in 2025.

Is he still capable of those August heights? The Braves won’t get that answer in the offseason. He’s played only 80 games over the past two seasons. He’s also an aging player. He’s not guaranteed to be even an average producer.

The off-field element takes priority here. Can the Braves organization — from the people cutting the checks to the staff to the players to even the fans — welcome this individual back despite his flagrant displays of selfishness?

There doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut solution here, so it boils down to 1) whether the organization can accept him back into the building, 2) whether it’s willing to eat $15 million to jettison him and 3) whether it believes Profar can be conducive to winning enough to justify retaining him. One would think the Braves will lean on player input here, too.