Phillies Outfielder Johan Rojas Suspended 80-Game For PED Violation
Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas warms up before a spring training baseball game, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Philadelphia Phillies may be without one of their potential backup outfielders for the first part of the 2026 season.
According to MLB Insider Jon Heyman, Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, and has been given an 80-game suspension for the failed test. Rojas is appealing the suspension, but if failed he’ll miss the first half of the 2026 season and will be ineligible for the postseason.
Rojas was removed from the Dominican Republic WBC roster on Monday for “personal decisions,” according to DR’s manager, Nelson Cruz, and reports suggested that Rojas may have tested positive for a banned substance. Reports came out that it might have been a positive test for marijuana, a substance not banned by MLB but banned during international play; however, according to reports today, it was indeed a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Along with Rojas being suspended, Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for a PED violation as well. Profar was suspended at the beginning of last season for a failed PED test, making this violation his second offense, which results in a full 162-game suspension. Like Rojas, Profar is appealing the suspension.
The outfielder came into spring training this season in a fight to get back on the major league roster after spending the majority of the 2025 season in the minors. Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, and Adolis Garcia are expected to start in the outfield this season, and the final bench spot was expected to be between Otto Kemp, Bryan De La Cruz, and Rojas. Now with the potential suspension, it’ll be an even more uphill battle for Rojas to get to the major league club this season.
Rojas is the third Phillies player to be suspended in the last nine months, as reliever Jose Alvarado was suspended 80 games back in May for taking a banned weight loss drug. Now, free agent outfielder Max Kepler was also suspended 80 games for a PED violation back in January after spending the entire 2025 season with the Phillies.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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