Jurickson Profar is closing in on his return to the Atlanta Braves lineup. Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Profar would begin playing in minor league games starting on Tuesday. He won’t be eligible to be activated until July 2, so he’ll be getting reps in the system for a couple weeks.
Initially, he was eligible to return June 29, but some weather-delayed games have pushed that back. It’s 80 games, not 80s days, as Snitker put it.
Snitker expects that Profar will be ready to play a full nine innings when he gets back since he’ll be getting reps the whole time.
Profar was suspended at the end of March following a positive test for performance enhancing drugs (also commonly referred to as PEDs). He tested positive for using Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a hormone that helps in the production of testosterone. According to the Associated Press, he lost $5,806,440 of his $12 million salary and remained ineligible for the postseason. Even when he is back and assuming he plays well, the Braves could be back right where they are now unless they make a move at the deadline.
Profar played in four games before he got suspended. He went 3-for-15 with a walk during that time. He batted .250 with a .775 OPS in Spring Training. Those numbers don’t say much, either because it was Spring Training or the virtually zero sample size in the regular season. We’ll have to wait and see how he does post-suspension.
There’s no way to tell. Most will expect him to take a step back because he was reliant on a substance last season. However, if the addition of the leg kick had any validity, maybe it will help him be effective. Before his All-Star season last year with the San Diego Padres, he was a career .238 hitter with a .706 OPS. with 87 career home runs and 359 RBIs.
