Ronald Acuña Jr. is set to play in his first game since early June when the Atlanta Braves play the Mets on Monday evening. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Atlanta is expected to activate Ronald Acuña Jr. this afternoon, and he will immediately slot back in right field.
However, whether or not Acuña should regain his leadoff responsibilities atop Atlanta's lineup has been a hot topic in Braves Country. Acuña's .373 on-base percentage remains the highest on the team this season, but there is an argument to bat Acuña second and split up some of the Braves' left-handed hitters in the top half of the lineup.
It will be interesting to see if Walt puts Acuña back in the leadoff spot tomorrow. Baldwin has done well since the break and with the Mets starting a lefty, it may make sense to split the two LHHs (Baldwin and Olson) by going Baldwin, Acuña, Olson. What would be your order?
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 26, 2026
Ronald Acuña Jr. makes his return, but the Braves need to tweak his spot in the lineup
The alternative to Acuña Jr. leading off is actually a sound one, as Drake Baldwin (.371 OBP) has been stellar as the team's leadoff man in Acuña's absence. Additionally, batting Ronald behind Baldwin allows the team to split its three best hitters in a more balanced fashion. Baldwin-Acuña-Olson is a lethal 1-2-3, and one that can succeed late in games against both righties and lefties.
Following Olson should be Michael Harris II, who has the third-highest wRC+ (124) on the team this season. After Harris, the Braves should be strategic by placing Ozzie Albies in the five-hole. When teams opt to bring in a left-handed reliever for the Olson-Harris duo, Albies waiting behind them guarantees he will get the opportunity to bat from his preferred right-handed side.
Rounding out the lineup can be any assortment of who's hot during that particular moment in time. Mauricio Dubón, Austin Riley, Mike Yastrzemski, and Dominic Smith figure to be the remaining components of the Braves' lineup, so 7-9 especially can be dictated by which of those bats are the hottest.
Eli White and Jim Jarvis could still see action in spot duty, but once Ha-Seong Kim and Sean Murphy return, Atlanta's depth would really look as strong as it has all season. It's clear Walt Weiss has options, but a new configuration atop the lineup seems the most beneficial for Atlanta going forward.
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