Ronald Acuña Jr. is back in the cleanup spot for the Braves as they open their weekend series against the Colorado Rockies, while Austin Riley gets the night off.
Walt Weiss shuffled the lineup for the homestand opener, and the biggest change starts right at the top of the middle of the order. Acuña returns to right field after sitting out yesterday and hits fourth, tucked in behind DH Drake Baldwin, second baseman Ozzie Albies, and first baseman Matt Olson. Michael Harris II follows in the five-hole and stays in his usual center-field role.
With Weiss rotating regulars through some rest days - outside of Olson - Riley is the one out of the lineup tonight. Mauricio Dubón slides over to third base in his place and moves down two spots to bat sixth.
The bottom half of Atlanta’s order also carries some of the momentum from the last series. Mike Yastrzemski hits seventh in left field, Sean Murphy is back behind the plate for Grant Holmes and bats eighth, and Ha-Seong Kim gets another start at shortstop after picking up another hit last night. Murphy’s OPS jumped by roughly 200 points after his 3-for-4 night on Wednesday, though that ended up getting overshadowed a bit by Kim’s work.
Colorado got its lineup out early, and Warren Schaeffer’s group comes in with Jake McCarthy leading off in left field and rookie Cole Carrigg in center. The Rockies’ home run leader, Hunter Goodman, bats third and catches Tomoyuki Sugano, with TJ Rumfield cleaning up at first base. Willi Castro hits fifth at third, Mickey Moniak is the designated hitter, and the final three spots go to Connor Norby at second, Zac Veen in right, and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop.
One matchup to watch: Moniak is the only Rockies hitter with a homer off Grant Holmes, while Goodman has one extra-base hit against him, a double.
First pitch for the Friday night opener is set for 7:15 pm ET.
In Other News...
Braves Quietly Added Catching Depth That Could Matter Later
The Braves have been doing plenty of quiet roster maintenance behind the scenes, and one of the more practical moves came with the addition of catcher Chuckie Robinson on a minor league deal after the Dodgers let him go. Los Angeles has already had to churn through bodies this season because of injuries and the usual wear that comes with a long schedule, and Robinsons arrival gives Atlanta another experienced name to keep in the organization as the season wears on.
Robinson has already gotten into games for Triple-A Gwinnett, which is exactly the kind of low-profile depth play clubs lean on when they are trying to stay protected for later in the year. Catching depth is rarely the headline until it suddenly matters, and the Braves have at least given themselves another option if their situation at the position gets tested down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Finally Found An Answer At Shortstop
For much of the season, the Braves have been piecing together shortstop with a rotating cast, trying Jorge Mateo, Ha-Seong Kim and Jim Jarvis in search of something steadier. In recent days, Mauricio Dubon has emerged as the latest option to get a real look, starting there five times in a week as manager Walt Weiss searches for a way to settle the position.
The expanded run suggests Dubon is no longer just filling in, but getting a chance to show he can handle the job on a more regular basis. The competition is still open in name, yet the pattern of playing time points to a growing level of trust in what he can provide both in the field and at the plate, which is exactly what Atlanta has been trying to find all season. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Prospect Pipeline Is Finally Giving Fans Real Reason To Dream
The Braves farm system has started to look like more than a collection of names on a prospect list, and that matters for a franchise that has spent plenty of recent seasons trying to balance big-league expectations with long-term replenishment. A few of the hitters drawing the most attention right now include Eric Hartman, Tate Southisene, AJ Gracia and Alex Lodise, a group that gives Atlanta a mix of power, pure hitting ability and enough positional flexibility to keep evaluators interested as they climb.
Some of those young bats have already dealt with injuries or the usual developmental bumps that come with the minors, but the broader picture is finally trending up. For Braves fans, the appeal is obvious: a system that looks healthier at the plate can provide both future lineup help and the kind of upside that eventually turns prospect buzz into awards-level production, even if the timing on which of these hitters reaches that ceiling remains the part still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]