The baseball world was rocked on Tuesday, just days before the World Baseball Classic, as Atlanta Braves All-Star and one of Team Netherlands’ top players, Jurickson Profar, tested positive for PEDs. This marks the second consecutive year the 12-year MLB veteran has faced such a violation.
Profar was suspended 80 games in 2025 for a first offense, which he said was unintentional.
“It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it,” Profar said last year.
With this second violation, Profar has been suspended for 162 games — the full length of an MLB season — and has been temporarily banned from competing in this year’s WBC.
“He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary and will be ineligible for the postseason,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported. “Profar also will be ineligible for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where he was set to represent the Netherlands, whose team includes players from his native Curaçao.”
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This came as a shock to both Profar and Team Netherlands, as he was scheduled to bat first in the team’s Wednesday exhibition game and was even listed on the lineup card provided to media ahead of the game.
Profar was set to be part of a roster that features plenty of professional talent, including Ozzie Albies (his Braves teammate), Xander Bogaerts, Juremi Profar (his younger brother), Ceddanne Rafaela, and rising star Druw Jones. The team is managed by MLB legend Andruw Jones, Druw’s father.
Profar represented the Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where the team went 2-2 in pool play and failed to advance to the tournament stage, finishing behind Cuba and Italy in their pool.
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