Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) this morning that he underwent surgery for a sports hernia back in November. The procedure required six weeks of recovery time and he enters camp without any restrictions. Per Bowman, Profar indicated he first felt discomfort due to the issue back in September and it flared up again during offseason workouts.
Profar, 33 later this week, is in an uncertain place as he heads into his second season with Atlanta. The switch-hitter’s 2024 campaign with the Padres was nothing short of phenomenal and saw him live up to his pedigree as the sport’s former #1 overall prospect. He earned his first career All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger award that year, slashing .280/.380/.459 with a 139 wRC+. He swatted 24 homers and stole ten bases in 158 games and paired a 15.1% strikeout rate with an 11.4% walk rate. That brilliant season earned Profar a three-year, $42MM contract in Atlanta, but his time with the Braves was derailed almost immediately by a PED suspension. That left him to serve an 80-game suspension that wiped out the first half of his 2025 season.
Once Profar returned to Atlanta, he managed to pick up more or less right where he left off. In 355 plate appearances from his reinstatement in July to the end of the season, Profar slashed .248/.358/.446 with 14 homers and nine steals. He struck out 15.8% of the time while walking at a phenomenal 13.2% clip, giving him an overall wRC+ of 126. Profar’s use of a performance-enhancing substance will surely cast doubt on his numbers for some, and as the veteran gets deeper into his 30s he’ll surely suffer age-related decline. For now, though, it’s easy to pencil the switch-hitter in as a likely above-average contributor to the Braves lineup.
Those contributions figure to come primarily at DH, at least to start the year. Profar doesn’t seem especially enthused about the change. Bowman notes that when asked about primarily playing DH this year, he “gritted his teeth, smirked, and made it clear he’s not excited about the role.” Even so, Profar did say (as noted by Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that he’s willing to help the team however he can.
To that end, it’s hard to argue that the best version of this Braves roster doesn’t have Profar at DH. He’s long been among the weakest defenders in the sport according to defensive metrics, and with DH Marcell Ozuna having been replaced in the lineup by the defensively solid Mike Yastrzemski it makes plenty of sense to get him off the grass Perhaps that could change at some point in the season, depending on the performance and health of the club’s other outfielders. Another potential x-factor could be Sean Murphy, who is slated to begin the year on the injured list but could factor into the DH mix (alongside fellow catcher Drake Baldwin) upon his return to action.
For now, though, the Braves will need to take every advantage they can get as they look to make up ground against the Phillies and Mets in the NL East. The club is coming off its worst season since Alex Anthopoulos took over baseball operations in 2018, and getting a full season out of a healthy and effective Profar figures to be one way Atlanta will try to get back on track. Of course, they’ll also need better health and productivity from the rest of a lineup that saw key players like Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Ozzie Albies take steps backwards at the dish last year, and better health from pitchers like Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez will be crucial as well.
he “gritted his teeth, smirked, and made it clear he’s not excited about the role.” Even so, Profar did say (as noted by Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that he’s willing to help the team however he can.
After missing half the season with a PED suspension, he probably shouldn’t complain about anything.
Yeah what an entitled attitude. Embarrassing. If he wants to play defense, get better at it.
Entitled attitude? Because the writer assumed he wasn’t excited about the role?
In player interviews, I would take body language into account just as much as the actual words they say because they’re trained to be careful about what they say publicly because it can affect their finances. As a Braves fan, hopefully, it’s misreporting or misinterpretation from Bowman. Not going to lie though, I’ll be glad when his contract is over.
lol
You seem to be disproportionately affected by a professional baseball player maintaining a desire to play in the field. I’m not sure how many MLB players or professional athletes you’ve met, but most of them share a hyper competitive personality trait that is partially responsible for their ascent as an athlete. I think Profar’s willingness to take steroids for an edge is indicative of this attitude.
What Profar isn’t doing is looking at defensive metrics and agreeing with the conclusion that he shouldn’t be playing the field. His belief in himself and his performance both at the plate and on defense has made him millions of dollars up to this point in his life.
And if Profar plans on continuing his career and re-enter free agency after his Braves contract expires, his earning potential is much greater if he plays semi-regularly in the field, and isn’t viewed as a DH only piece at that time.
So from a business perspective and also a personal perspective, him wanting to still play the field is overwhelmingly understandable for most people. The Braves didn’t pay his salary while he wasn’t suspended either.
So in other words, relax yourself a little bit my man
Man you beat me to it…….
Having a DH with a 100 career OPS+ would seem to have the Braves at a competitive disadvantage at the position. And who knows what his production will be without PED’s. With ?’s at SS,2B and CF it really puts a lot of pressure on Acuña, Olson, Riley and Baldwin to produce big time.
Better than having him drag down the team with bad defense if better options are available.
MLBUmpire..I agree with that..if Profar is going to play it should be as DH. But it seems the plan is for him to play LF vs left handed pitching. Yaz, though solid vs right handed pitching(809 OPS) is unplayable vs lefties(648 OPS). Profar..732 and 728…R and L.
If anyone here was given an opportunity to do anything for a ball club with his paycheck, not a single one would grit their teeth. Not a single damn one of us. What a pansy……
None of us have had 3.6 bWAR in the majors just two years ago.