While this weekend's home series against the Phillies does have the same intrigue as usual due to Philly forgetting how to win baseball games, there is still a lot to consider when it comes to the Atlanta Braves' side of the equation. Not only is this a prime opportunity to put the Phillies in an awful spot, but this series will also tell us if there is any cause for concern when it comes to Michael Harris II.
Before Thursday's matchup against the Nationals, Harris had a really strong argument for being the Braves' hottest hitter at the moment. Unfortunately, after taking second on a double in the series finale, Harris was pulled from the game with quad tightness.
After the game, everyone, including Harris, downplayed the injury and said it was highly unlikely he would miss any time. Well, the Braves' lineup came out on Friday and Harris was indeed right back in the lineup hitting fifth. However, a bit later in the afternoon, the Braves decided to play it safe and scratch him.
#Braves CF Michael Harris (quad tightness) has been scratched from Friday's lineup. MGR Walt Weiss said he's day-to-day and they don't anticipate it being an IL situation.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 24, 2026
Braves' lineup against Phillies, Andrew Painter includes Michael Harris II which is a big relief
Now, Harris does appear to be okay and Walt Weiss indicated that Harris' absence would be a short one. It just seems like Harris was doing pre-game drills and was still feeling it a little bit and they are just playing it safe. In his place, Eli White gets the start in center field on Friday. Certainly not an ideal outcome, but one that wasn't completely unexpected.
For the first game on Friday, the Braves send Grant Holmes to the mound to take on the Phillies' Andrew Painter who gave the Braves some trouble in the last series, but they were able to get him out after four innings. Holmes also last pitched against the Phillies and went into the fifth inning while giving up two runs, although it wasn't his most efficient start, to be sure.
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