There has not been much to gripe about with the Atlanta Braves play this season, but Ha-Seong Kim's slow start is probably one obvious area to point to when searching for negatives in an otherwise enjoyable 2026 season. Kim was given some grace as his late-season debut contributed to some rough numbers these past few weeks, but it appears that period has ended.
The poor at-bats and shaky defense continued to pile up for HSK, and as a result a change at shortstop has finally been made. Ahead of the series against opener against the Reds on Friday, Braves manager Walt Weiss announced that the club would take a "day-to-day" approach going forward at shortstop. This means Jorge Mateo, Ha-Seong Kim, and Mauricio Dubón will likely all see their share of time up the middle of the diamond as Weiss looks to piece together a winning formula each night.
Mateo flashing the leather in the third inning tonight pic.twitter.com/KNKF0EoecX
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) May 29, 2026
Why the Braves should roll with Jorge Mateo at shortstop until his play drops off
On Friday night, Mateo was given his second straight start at shortstop, and he rewarded the Braves with yet another productive night at the plate - scoring two runs, and driving in two more during Atlanta's 8-3 victory. On the season, Mateo currently sports a 134 wRC+ and 0.8 fWAR. For comparison, Kim has a unfathomably poor -12 wRC+ and -0.7 fWAR.
To be fair, some of Mateo's production is a result of him currently running a .438 Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP), and Kim obviously has the more proven track record between his and Mateo's career. However, the latter does offer serious tools that can help the team win games.
The caution with Mateo's profile is his above-average whiff and chase rates. However, Michael Harris II is showcasing how those defects can be overcome with enough hard contact. Additionally, Mateo is a plus-plus baserunner, ranking in the 100th percentile in sprint speed this season. Mateo's 2 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 34 games played is also noticeably better than HSK's -3 OAA in his limited sample size.
The Braves can't completely jump ship on Kim, and perhaps Austin Riley's underperformance opens up occasional reps for Mateo at third base as well. Regardless, the Braves offense has clearly been more dynamic with Mateo in the lineup recently. This hot streak from Mateo probably is not built to last, but the Braves benefit in more ways than one (this grants Kim more time to work on some swing issues) by riding the Mateo wave as long as they can.
Right now, Atlanta is winning a lot and getting contributions from a variety of sources. Jorge Mateo was not signed this winter with the expectation he would begin taking starts from their $20 million investment at shortstop, but at the end of the day his solid play is being rewarded. Good on the Braves for recognizing that, and hopefully the shortstop competition will bring out the best of Mateo and Kim as the summer months begin to roll in.
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