The Atlanta Braves have holes at shortstop and in the outfield, but luckily, Mauricio Dubón stepped up and filled both roles last season.
However, Dubón is now a free agent, and the Braves need to find a way to address their needs. After serving a 162-game performance-enhancing drug suspension in 2026, Jurickson Profar could fill the Braves' need in the outfield. However, the Braves may not want to bring him back at all.
"Profar certainly wouldn’t be welcome back in the clubhouse after betraying his teammates both of the past two seasons with performance-enhancing drug suspensions," wrote Braves insider Mark Bowman on Wednesday.
Profar forfeited his 2026 salary and is due $15 million for 2027. However, he reportedly cut off all contact with the team after his suspension and changed his phone number, per Scott Coleman.
At this point, he may be a detriment to the clubhouse and not worth bringing back. When asked about Profar's role on the team, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos did not provide much information.
"We realize it's something we're going to have to address,” Anthopoulos said, per Bowman. “But we’d like to get through the winter and have a better handle on what the roster looks like and what’s going to happen between now and Spring Training with signings, role (determinations) and all that stuff.”
It certainly sounds like the Braves are going to try to find an adequate option in the outfield before they make a final decision on Profar.