It’s no secret that the Braves lineup has been scuffling all season. The collective underperformance at the plate is the biggest reason for the team’s mediocre 37-43 record and third place standing in the National League East. Atlanta is entering a crucial stretch that will determine if it buys or sells at the trade deadline. Fortunately, the team will get a huge reinforcement next week with the return of left fielder Jurickson Profar.
Jurickson Profar is soon to return from suspension
Profar is set to return to action on July 2nd at home against the Los Angeles Angels. The former Padre has been serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He played in the first four games of the 2025 season, batting .200 before getting popped.
Profar has been ramping up in Triple-A Gwinnett as he nears his return, and the stats have been encouraging. In nine games (43 plate appearances) entering Friday’s action, Profar is slashing .314/.395/.514 with six walks to four strikeouts and two home runs. Despite his solid play coming against inferior competition, the Braves have to be excited to see the slugger hitting the ground running after such a long layoff.
Jurickson Profar’s current stats at Triple-A Gwinnett: .314 BA, .909 OPS, 2 HR, 6 RBI
— Barrett Sallee
(@BarrettSallee) June 27, 2025
A much talent injection
The suspension was a major gut punch because it came just as Profar’s Braves tenure was beginning with plenty of optimism. GM Alex Anthopoulos had just handed the Curaçaoan a three-year, $42 million contract late in the spring to be the team’s left fielder of the future. This was coming off a career season with the San Diego Padres in which he slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs. Profar attributed his big year to a swing change he added from working with Fernando Tatis Sr., and the Braves banked on the sustainability of his success.
Additionally, Profar was the only major signing during an offseason in which the Braves’ front office did very little to upgrade the roster. The suspension and a few injuries later, they have found themselves short on talent in a loaded National League. Profar’s return to the lineup should help with that and hopefully serve as a shot in the arm for a lineup that hasn’t woken up at any point halfway through the season.
Verdugo to the bench
Profar’s return is even more impactful when combined with the struggles of the guy he will replace. Alex Verdugo has received the bulk of the starts in left field for most of the suspension, but he has been terrible ever since a hot first week. In 203 plate appearances on the year, Verdugo holds a .245/.300/.298 and a 68 OPS+, with a grand total of zero home runs. He also has -5 Outs Above Average on defense, making it very hard to find a single positive contribution. Despite all this, Brian Snitker has regularly slotted Verdugo second in the lineup in recent weeks. However, he has already indicated that Profar will usurp him in that spot.
The planned starting outfield of Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, and Jurickson Profar will finally get their first chance to play together, and Verdugo can mercifully hit the bench. It’s a brief moment of excitement in an otherwise gloomy season in Atlanta, and if it’s not enough to galvanize this group, then most likely nothing will.
Main Photo Credits: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
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