It has been a year from hell for the Atlanta Braves. Whether it is their persistent struggles in one-run games, or their bullpen being about as useful as a wet paper bag, it is hard to imagine this team will be able to extend its postseason streak to eight seasons. If there was a bad omen to start out the year, it had to be recently acquired outfielder Jurickson Profar getting popped for PEDs just days after Opening Day.
Profar is currently serving an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. The whole point of his signing was to shore up left field defensively and provide some level of protection at the top of the lineup before Ronald Acuña Jr. made his return to the team from a torn ACL. That did not go according to plan at all. In the meantime, the Braves have had to endure Alex Verdugo.
Whether it was Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees fans, Braves Country did not listen. This is who Verdugo is, an incredibly inconsistent player whose effort comes and goes whenever he feels like it. Verdugo being himself, combined with Eli White being forced into too many ballgames, has played a large part in the Braves' roster largely disappointing. July 2 cannot get here fast enough.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported that Profar will be activated by the Braves in less than a month.
Profar will begin playing with Gwinnett tonight. Barring any more postponements, he’ll be activated on July 2
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 17, 2025
But with how bad the Braves have been through the first 2.5 months of the season, is it going to matter?
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Jurickson Profar's return could not come fast enough for Atlanta Braves
We have seen crazier things happen in baseball before, so until the Braves have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason, let's not bury them just yet. That being said, this is my team, but I cannot stand them. The Brian Snitker era of Braves basebal needs to end. Alex Anthopoulos is no longer some front-office wunderkind we need to make sacrifices to like he is an ancient pagan deity.
When the Braves acquired Profar, I thought, "Great! Anthopoulos woke up from his five-month nap and actually did something!" Less than a week into his Braves tenure, the guy gets popped for PEDs. When it rains, it pours. Regardless, he is still a massive upgrade over the likes of Verdugo. An outfield trio of Acuña, Profar and Michael Harris II is something I could have gotten behind a few months ago.
In the meantime, I will choose to enjoy watching Acuña from afar, as well as Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach continue to deal in their starts. I just cannot for the life of me force myself to watch a game actively as long as Snitker is the manager. As soon as they brought that big stooge doofus Fredi Gonzalez back into the organization, this era of Braves baseball completely lost me as a fan.
I may be more elastic as a fan of this team than I should, but I have no time to stomach sorry crapola.