Potential Platoon Bats to Replace Jurickson Profar
Atlanta's leftfielder is suspended for PEDs...again, and now the Braves need a platoon partner for Mike Yastrzemski
The main issue that took down the 2025 Atlanta Braves was the rotation injuries. Having all five Opening Day starters on the 60-day injured list was an unprecedented injury situation, one the team couldn’t dig out from. And I mean ‘unprecedented’ quite literally - No team in the modern era has had its entire Opening Day rotation on the 60-day IL at the same time.
But that hole was deeper than it had any right to be due to the poor performance of the team’s offense in the first half of the season, and a significant portion of that is placed at the feet of Jurickson Profar. Signed last winter to be an on-base threat and the leadoff hitter until Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from his knee injury, Profar instead missed 80 games after failing a PED test. Left with no quality options a week into the season after Profar went to the ineligible/suspended list, the Braves ended up giving over 450 PAs to backup and below-average outfielders like Alex Verdugo (.585 OPS), Jarred Kelenic (.531 OPS), and Stuart Fairchild (.606). Between that trio and weak bats like defensive-first shortstop Nick Allen (.535 OPS), three of Atlanta’s nine lineup spots were a weakness on any given night.
Now the Braves need to replace Profar again, as the leftfielder was suspended once again for PEDs. On his second offense, it’s a full season, so Profar will forfeit all $15M of his 2026 salary and won’t be eligible to play in MLB’s regular season, the World Baseball Classic, or the postseason until 2027.
What do the Braves do from here? Let’s talk about it.
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What can you replace here?
Jurickson Profar was projected to do three things for the Atlanta Braves offense in 2026:
Be a switch-hitter, balancing a lineup with four everyday lefties
Start in the outfield against left-handed pitching
Be an ‘on-base engine’ to fuel RBI opportunities
Not all of this can be replaced that easily with a single available free agent.
Given the fact that Profar was going to be in the field against lefties, replacing an outfielder in Mike Yastrzemski who is virtually unplayable against left-handed pitching (career 79 wRC+, but last year was a 20 wRC+) feels like the priority of the three. None of the team’s remaining outfield options, either on the 40-man roster (Eli White) or the non-roster invitees (Ben Gamel, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Brewer Hicklin, José Azocar) have any sort of notable success against lefties in their careers, however.
White: 63 wRC+ vs LHP
Gamel: 89 wRC+
Keirsey Jr, Hicklin, Azocar: no significant sample size
Is there anyone in camp who can hit lefties at least adequately, even if they don’t have that much experience in left? Well, maybe. Dominic Smith is the first name that many in the national media are throwing out for this, but he has a career 90 wRC+ against lefties. Kyle Farmer might legitimately be an option here, given a career 117 wRC+ in a 792 PA sample, but he’s also mostly new to the idea of playing on the grass, having logged just six professional innings in the outfield.
There’s no easy and simple internal replacement for Jurickson Profar. Could they look outside the organization?
It’s bad timing to need an outfielder
Profar going down during spring training means that the Braves need to add someone after the typical late-spring price correction window has closed. In just the last week or two, veteran outfielder Starling Marte signed an MLB deal with the Royals and minor league deals were signed by Michael Conforto (Cubs), Randal Grichuk (Yankees), Austin Hays (White Sox) and Mike Tauchman (Mets).
There are a few names still remaining on the market, but they all have massive flaws. One of the first players that comes to mind is Andrew McCutchen. The 2013 NL MVP has spent his last three years in Pittsburgh, the organization that took him 11th overall in 2005. But as he’s gotten into the back half of his thirties - he’ll turn 40 after the season - he’s spent most of his time in the designated hitter role while hitting only about league average. The last three seasons, he’s hit .242 with a 105 wRC+ while playing a combined 21 games/147.1 innings in the outfield grass. He’s been marginally better against southpaws - a .244 average and 107 wRC+ - and would bring veteran mentorship into Atlanta’s clubhouse, but how effective can he be in the outfield grass two or three times a week?
Other outfielders that have been suggested include Jesse Winker (.229 avg, 92 wRC+ vs LHP over the last three years), Manuel Margot (.273 avg, 93 wRC+ vs LHP) and Tommy Pham (.230 avg, 97 wRC+ vs LHP), but they don’t have the requisite performance against lefties to be a serious consideration here.
Pivoting from actual (albeit part-time) outfielders to a guy that we’re not even sure if he can still play in the field, corner infielder Justin Turner hit .276 with a 112 wRC+ against southpaws last year but is still unsigned. At age 41, he’s likely reduced to being a designated hitter. Do the Braves pull the trigger on bringing in a veteran that not only can’t help defensively, but also blocks rotational DH flexibility? It’s unlikely.
There’s another route the Braves could take here, though.
Do they re-engage the trade market?
The Atlanta Braves were reportedly in on Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton at last year’s trade deadline, but the Atlanta-area native was reluctant to waive his no-trade clause at the time.
A lot has changed in the Twin Cities since last July.
Ownership signaled they intend to be competitive following a fire sale of one-third of the roster late last season in trades. But now being run by a new general manager after the surprising January resignation of Derek Falvey and with the loss for the season of ace Pablo López to elbow surgery, it’s fair to question if competing in 2026 is in the cards for Minnesota.
And if not, there’s an opportunity for the Braves to not only attempt to acquire Buxton, but potentially also pitcher Joe Ryan. While it’s unlikely that either player gets moved this close to the season, not with Twins.TV subscriptions to be sold, Atlanta would be served to inquire about a package deal.
Other outfielders that were rumored to be on the market this winter include Jarren Duran or Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox, Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, or Gold Glove-winning leftfielder Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians.
The odds of any of these players being moved this close to Opening Day are slim, but the Braves need to ask.
So, what does Atlanta do?
Honestly, probably not much of anything. With the expected returns of shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and catcher Sean Murphy sometime in May, the Braves likely try to make it work with the pieces they already have in camp. While I wouldn’t rule out a potential signing of someone like McCutcheon on a non-guaranteed deal, here’s how I see things likely shaking out for the Braves:
vs RHP
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
C Drake Baldwin
1B Matt Olson
3B Austin Riley
LF Mike Yastrzemski
2B Ozzie Albies
CF Michael Harris II
DH Dominic Smith
SS Mauricio Dubón
vs LHP
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
C Drake Baldwin
1B Matt Olson
3B Austin Riley
2B Ozzie Albies
SS Mauricio Dubón
CF Michael Harris II
DH Kyle Farmer/Jonah Heim
LF Eli White
Because here’s the thing: The Braves aren’t going to need someone to take everyday at-bats.
They’ve only faced lefty starters in roughly one-quarter of their games over the last two years.1 If Murphy and Kim are back in mid-May, that’s roughly 10 starts against lefties for the Braves to cover before they gain the ability to either DH Baldwin/Murphy or send Dubón into left field in those situations.
Could the Braves make an addition of a veteran bat to help in those situations? Sure, there’s plenty of money free now that Jurickson Profar isn’t getting his $15M salary for 2026.
But will they sign someone? Similar to their position on rotation additions, it’s entirely likely that the organization likes their position-player depth to start the year. While they’ll undoubtedly always be looking for a clear upgrade, they may not find one worth jettisoning a position player to either Gwinnett or the waiver wire.
The Braves don’t need another body. They need a clear upgrade. And that player may not exist in March.
I’m leaving 2023 out because that offense was so good against lefties - .290/.354/.516 - that teams were stacking/setting their rotations to avoid throwing southpaws against the Braves and they faced only 32.