May 24, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Alex Verdugo (8) hits a single against the San Diego Padres in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves are designating Alex Verdugo for assignment to make room for fellow outfielder Jurickson Profar, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
Profar is eligible to return on Wednesday from an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Verdugo is batting .239 with zero home runs and 12 RBIs in 56 games in his first season with the Braves. He signed a one-year deal for $1.5 million in March.
Verdugo, 29, is a career .270 hitter with 70 homers and 328 RBIs in 856 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017-19), Boston Red Sox (2020-23), New York Yankees (2024) and Braves.
Profar, 32, was suspended without pay on March 31 for violating the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He tested positive for the PED chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), according to the commissioner’s office.
After last year’s breakout All-Star season with the San Diego Padres, Profar signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in January.
Profar played in four games before the suspension, batting .200 (3-for-15) with two runs scored.
He set career highs across the board in 2024 with a .280 average, 24 homers, 94 runs and 85 RBIs in 158 games for the Padres.
The Curacao native has a .245 career average with 111 homers and 444 RBIs in 1,123 games with the Texas Rangers (2012-13, 2016-18), Athletics (2019), Padres (2020-22, 2023-24), Colorado Rockies (2023) and Braves.
–Field Level Media
