The Braves are changing things up at the top of the order Tuesday night, and Drake Baldwin is the big name in the shuffle.
After spending recent games near the front of Atlanta’s lineup, Baldwin is sliding into the cleanup spot for the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s the first time he’s batted fourth since July 11. Michael Harris II will lead off, Ronald Acuña Jr. is hitting second and Matt Olson is slotted third ahead of Baldwin.
The move follows a rough finish to the four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies. Baldwin went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Monday’s finale and had a tough series overall, prompting Atlanta to give him a different kind of job against Tampa Bay. Rather than setting the table, he’ll be asked to drive in runs in the middle of the lineup.
That role fits the kind of season Baldwin has put together. The 24-year-old catcher has hit .276 with a .353 on-base percentage, 22 home runs and 69 RBIs in 121 games. He’s also spent time at catcher and designated hitter, giving manager Walt Weiss some room to maneuver while keeping Baldwin’s bat in the mix.
The Braves enter Tuesday at 85-59 and hold a four-game edge over the Phillies in the National League East. Tampa Bay comes in at 85-58 and sits first in the American League East.
So this isn’t a demotion so much as a reset. Baldwin remains central to what Atlanta is doing; Weiss is simply asking one of his most important young hitters to impact the game from a different spot.
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