Latest news with #JuricksonProfar
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Braves Receive Positive Ronald Acuna Jr. News After Video Emerges
The Atlanta Braves haven't been all that impressive in the first quarter of the 2025 MLB season. With a record that has been on the verge of .500, they began 2025 losing their first seven games and have been battling their back into baseball relevancy. Advertisement It's been difficult for the Braves after newly acquired outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 80 games for testing positive with PEDs. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar warms up at a spring training workout at CoolToday Park in North Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images On top of this, starting pitchers Spencer Strider (hamstring strain) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder inflammation) haven't been playing for the Braves. With all of this drama filling Atlanta's organization, they have also been awaiting a return of franchise star and 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna Jr. has been dealing with a torn ACL he suffered on May 26 of 2024. The six-foot, 205-pound outfielder from Venezuela has been the Braves' best player since making his MLB debut in 2018. Advertisement With a .289 batting average, .379 on-base percentage, .525 slugging and .904 OPS – alongside 165 home runs, 417 RBIs and 196 stolen bases – Ronald Acuna Jr. has been on of baseball's top players since he's been in the league. May 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (13) reaches second on a double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Ronald Acuna Jr. hits home run in first rehab start He could be expected to return sometime in May or possibly early June, but he was able to make his first rehab start on Tuesday and he looks like himself. In his first game back, Acuna Jr. hit a bomb for the Braves' Florida Complex League team. He is looking like his old-self before he suffered a torn ACL almost a year ago exactly. Advertisement His specific date to return hasn't been released, but his first rehab start will make Braves fans excited for the rest of Atlanta's season. He'll be a clear upgrade once he's implemented into the Braves' lineup as they look to bounce back from a slow start. The rest of the league should be prepared for the return of the 2023 NL MVP.
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Phillies closer José Alvarado suspended for 80 games for positive drug test
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games on Sunday following a positive test for external testosterone under Major League Baseball's drug-testing program. Alvarado became the second player suspended this year under the big league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers Must Pursue Jarred Kelenic in Blockbuster Braves Trade
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been off to a very solid start, sitting at 13-6 through 19 games, good for third in the National League West. Their .684 win percentage is the third-best in the MLB, with the only problem being that the top two are division rival San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. The top of the Dodgers' lineup has impressed, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Tommy Edman performing as advertised. Advertisement The bottom of the order, though, is a different story with Andy Pages, Enrique Hernandez and Max Muncy trying to figure it out. Fortunately for LA, one trade option exists that could vault their lineup to new heights. Atlanta Braves right fielder Jarred KelenicDavid Frerker-Imagn Images With the Braves sitting at 5-12 after an underwhelming start to the year, Andrew Friedman must call Alex Anthopoulos about a deal that would send Jarred Kelenic to Hollywood. Kelenic, who's batting .154 through the first 16 games of the season, hasn't really lived up to the enormous hype given to him after he was the headlining prospect in the 2018 deal that sent Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano to Queens. Advertisement However, with Ronald Acuna Jr back around May, and Jurickson Profar returning from suspension at the end of June, Kelenic isn't looking at solid playing time long-term. With both Pages and Michael Conforto struggling to begin the year, the Dodgers should consider a trade to buy low on Kelenic. There is no doubt in the strength of the Dodgers' player development program, and Kelenic could benefit from seeing more playing time with the Dodgers' experienced staff. There's nothing better than a change of scenery for a struggling player, and Kelenic could fit quite nicely in Dodger blue. Related: Braves' Jurickson Profar Breaks Silence Following MLB Suspension News Related: Braves Facing Alex Verdugo Decision After Jurickson Profar Suspension
CBC
08-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar gets 80-game ban for PED violation
Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games without pay for performance-enhancing drug use. Major League Baseball announced Monday that Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league's joint drug prevention and treatment program. The suspension of Profar is effective immediately. Barring postponed games, Profar would be eligible to return June 29 against Philadelphia and would lose $5,806,440 of his $12 million US salary. He is also ineligible for the post-season. Profar called it the "most difficult day of my baseball career" and said he would never knowingly cheat. "This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game," he said in a statement. "There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favourite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates and the fans. "It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it. I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB's decision." The 32-year-old Profar was an all-star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 runs batted in for San Diego. He then signed a three-year, $42 million contract with Atlanta in the off-season. Profar is the fourth player who has been suspended this year for violating the performance-enhancing substance policy, with the others coming under the minor league program and the program for minor leaguers assigned outside the United States and Canada. Two players were suspended last year under the major league drug program. Noelvi Marte, a 22-year-old infielder who was considered Cincinnati's top prospect, missed the first 80 games following a positive test for boldenone. Toronto infielder Orelvis Martinez was suspended for 80 games on June 23 following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug clomiphene, an announcement made two days after his major league debut.
USA Today
03-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
1 stat says the Atlanta Braves season is already over
1 stat says the Atlanta Braves season is already over A week ago the Atlanta Braves began the 2025 MLB regular season with a 7-4 loss to the San Diego Padres. On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Braves ended their season with a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, courtesy of a Shohei Ohtani walk-off home run. Maybe that's a little overdramatic, but consider the Braves now sit at 0-7 on the season — the only winless team in MLB. Now consider the fact no team has ever made the postseason after starting 0-7. It's a wrap in Atlanta. Pack it in. Get ready for spring training next year. That's all, folks. OK, that was definitely overdramatic, but you can't blame Braves fans for feeling like nothing is going right at the moment. Entering Thursday, Atlanta's team .151 batting average is the worst in MLB. So is it's .485 OPS. And that's not to mention Jurickson Profar getting hit with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. So, yeah. Things look bleak in Atlanta right now, but let's just take a big, deep breath. Losing steaks are going to happen over the course of a 162-game season. Even long, treacherous losing streaks. Last season alone, there were 17 losing streaks of seven games or longer across MLB (four of them belonged to the Chicago White Sox). The Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals each had seven-game losing streaks and still reached the postseason. We also can't forget that in 2021, when the Braves won the World Series, the team was under .500 at the All-Star break that year with losing records in April and June. Even with an 0-7 record, the Braves are still favored to reach the playoffs with -176 odds at BetMGM. So perhaps Atlanta has the league right where it wants it. Or maybe that's the last bit of hope Braves fans have left after a dreadful start to the season.
