The Atlanta Braves stopped their five-game losing streak with a win over the Royals on Monday evening at Kauffman Stadium. It was a good offensive showing, especially from Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr.
Atlanta drew 14 walks against Royals pitching, who struggled to find the strike zone the entire game. Seeing Acuña performing well was encouraging, as he's struggled since being moved to the three-hole in the lineup.
He is batting .220/.373/.537 over 11 games in that spot with two doubles, one triple, three homers, and five RBI. The slug is still there as indicated by his 148 wRC+. But the average is down compared to when he bats lead off.
It seems the Braves are dead set on keeping him behind Matt Olson and letting Jurickson Profar struggle at the top. Acuña is too electric of a player not to be leading off the game. It also benefits Olson for Acuña to bat in front of him.
Game 2 in KC!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/NJlIt1loEn
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 29, 2025
Braves not batting Ronald Acuña Jr. first is starting to get truly frustrating
When batting first, Acuña has slashed .327/.442/.587 over 41 games with six doubles, 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and a 186 wRC+. This has been where he's thrived during his entire career. Last time the Braves moved him down in the order, the exact same thing happened.
They've yet to learn that he is perfectly suited to bat leadoff in today's game. The team is desperate to try and have their best hitter drive in runs with runners on base. It's easy to understand why they'd want to try. His bat is incredibly dangerous and can hurt opposing pitchers in a heartbeat.
It just feels like he's more comfortable leading off and has more success. Profar has struggled since returning and is slashing .236/.337/.278 with an 82 wRC+ at the lead-off spot. That is not ideal for a leadoff hitter, and it doesn't help quell any of the feelings that he was only good last year due to steroid use.
Hopefully, Snit will come to his senses soon and put Acuña back at the top where he belongs.