Dutch pro-baseball player Jurickson Profar tests positive for doping ahead of WBC

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was scratched from the Netherlands' national baseball team's starting lineup on Tuesday, reportedly due to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. The 33-year-old was supposed to play in an exhibition match between the Dutch team and the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, and is on the roster for the Kingdom of the Netherlands squad in the upcoming World Baseball Classic tournament.

If confirmed, it would mark Profar's second positive doping test in his career. He could face a strict suspension of 162 games as a result, equivalent to an entire season of Major League Baseball (MLB), according to Reuters. He is due to earn 15 million dollars this year, but would forfeit the entire sum if the test results are upheld. The Curaçao native was expected to play for the Braves when they start their season in Atlanta against the Kansas City Royals.

Aside from the season ban, Profar would also be barred from joining the Dutch squad during the WBC later this month. The team, led by manager Andruw Jones, is set to begin the bragging rights World Cup style tournament in Miami. Their first match is a group stage game against Venezuela on Friday. Profar will be replaced by Ray-Patrick Didder during the exhibition game against the Orioles.

Profar is among the highest-paid Dutch athletes, having signed a 42-million dollar deal with Atlanta before the 2025 season. He was suspended for nearly half of that first year on his three-year contract when he tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, Reuters reported.

Last year, Dutch baseball association KNBSB reacted with "surprise" when news of Profar's first positive doping test emerged. "At the KNBSB, we stand for fair play and clean sports. We will comply with the MLB's sanction," said Peter Kwakernaak, technical director of the KNBSB. The baseball association said on Tuesday it wants to "investigate" all aspects of the situation before issuing a response to the latest development.

Profar has represented the Kingdom team several times in the World Baseball Classic. This prestigious tournament, featuring top baseball players from MLB and other top sporting leagues, is being held this year for the sixth time.

Profar is not the first professional baseball player with a Dutch passport to be punished for doping. The International Baseball Federation imposed a two-year suspension on pitcher Sidney Ponson in 2009. The Dutch international was caught using a banned appetite suppressant during the World Baseball Classic.