The roller coaster ride known as the 2025 Atlanta Braves continues to throw fans for a loop. The offense looked like it was turning a corner with a sweep of the Mets last week. However, that momentum didn't last and the Braves promptly lost a series on the road to the Marlins.
Once again, they faced the Mets and it looked like it was going to be a repeat as they won the first two games of the series. But they lost the final two games to the Mets before returning home to play the Phillies. The first game of that series went about as poorly as it could have with Philly beating down Atlanta 13-0 after a lengthy rain delay.
The lineup outside of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson has been absolutely dreadful to watch. It's been time for a shakeup, but Brian Snitker has a bad habit of letting things go too long before trying something new.
That time has finally come as both Michael Harris II and Alex Verdugo were removed from the lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Phillies. Verguo has been absolutely horrible at the plate and while Harris continues to play exceptional defense, his bat has provided nothing of value.
.@spencerschwell gets the start!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/JwyL0aPzis
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 28, 2025
Braves give Michael Harris II a much needed day off with Saturday lineup against Phillies
His OPS for the season is currently at .558 for the season and his Statcast page is a horror story. The main issues plaguing him are his inability to draw walks and not chase pitches. His walk rate is a putrid 3.1% and his chase rate is equally as bad at 42.3%.
Opposing pitchers are taking advantage of his aggressiveness and the breaking pitch is their weapon of choice. The put away rate on breaking pitches is 26.9% and the whiff rate is 35.5% this season.
He has desperately needed a few days off to reset himself and get his mindset right. If he could just start laying off pitches outside the zone and force pitchers to throw in the zone, he'd have much more success.
Hopefully, this helps get him going in the right direction. The Braves need him (and many others) to start hitting up to their potential or this season is going to turn into a lost cause sooner than anyone expected.