There was no single culprit for the Braves’ ugly June. The whole lineup took turns missing the mark.
Atlanta started the month 5-1, then collapsed to a 4-12 finish over the final 16 games, and the offense was the biggest reason why. The Braves ended June with the fewest runs scored in baseball, and they were 10 runs behind the next-worst club.
The numbers got so bleak that six Braves position players now sit on some of the franchise’s worst monthly leaderboards. Ha-Seong Kim posted a .192 OPS in June, which is the lowest by any Braves player in the month of June in franchise history, minimum 30 plate appearances. The previous low was .201 by Frank O'Rourke in 1912.
Drake Baldwin wasn’t far behind. His .225 OPS in 50 plate appearances was the fourth-lowest by a Braves hitter in June. Baldwin opened his return from the injured list with two hits, then went nine straight games without one.
Jorge Mateo also landed on the list with a .354 OPS, the 27th-lowest June by a Braves hitter. Mike Yastrzemski, Dominic Smith, and Austin Riley all finished inside the top 200 worst June performances in franchise history as well, each with an OPS under .540.
For all the talk about the Braves’ shaky starting pitching, June showed the lineup could have been handed a dominant rotation and still likely would have struggled to stay afloat. Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubón were the only hitters who finished the month with a wRC+ above 100. Olson posted a 135 mark, while Dubón checked in at 141.
Ozzie Albies was the only other Brave to clear an OPS of .700, and Michael Harris II was close at .692. After that, the production fell off sharply. Eli White was the only other player to finish above a .600 OPS, and his .610 mark translated to a 68 wRC+, comfortably below league average.
That level of offensive failure helps explain how Atlanta’s 9.5-game lead shrank to 2.5 in just 17 games. The Braves didn’t just run cold; they failed against mediocre starting pitching, and that made the month spiral.
With July now here, Atlanta is hoping the offense turns the page as quickly as the calendar did.
In Other News...
Braves Prospect Update Brings Needed Hope For A Thin Pitching Pipeline
Baseball Americas in-season refresh of Atlantas Top 30 prospect list offered a useful reminder that even a thin pitching pipeline can still produce some legitimate arms to track. The update added fresh scouting context on Drue Hackenberg, Carter Holton and Patrick Clohisy, giving a clearer picture of where each stands and why the Braves still have some developmental hope tucked into an otherwise uneasy system.
Hackenbergs year has been shaped by an oblique issue that slowed his 2026 start, but the current view is more encouraging after he returned looking closer to his 2024 form. Holtons path is less straightforward, with the Braves continuing to develop him as a starter while weighing how his frame and delivery may ultimately fit, and Clohisys athleticism and versatility keep him in the conversation after a steady offensive showing across the upper levels. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Reaching A Frustrating Ha-Seong Kim Breaking Point
Ha-Seong Kims season has become one of the most stubborn problems on the Braves roster, and the offense has not been able to hide it. Through his first 71 at-bats, he has just five hits and has spent long stretches looking out of rhythm at the plate, even as manager Walt Weiss has kept giving him chances to work through it. For a club trying to stabilize the lineup, the shortstop spot has become a daily reminder that patience only lasts so long.
Braves management and observers around the team are now sounding more uneasy about how much longer they can keep waiting for a turnaround. The concern is no longer just about a cold streak, but whether Atlanta may soon have to reconsider Kims role at shortstop if the production does not change, and the next stretch could go a long way toward determining whether the team keeps leaning on him or starts looking for another answer. [Read more 🡒]