When the Atlanta Braves acquired Mauricio Dubon last offseason, it was so that he could be a super-utility player and backup plan. Dubon had played that role well in Houston and, with all of the Braves' injury issues in recent years, having someone else competent available to slot in if another injury pops up was incredibly appealing. However, Dubon has proven to be much more important than that to Atlanta so far.
Obviously, Dubon came up huge for the Braves when Ha-Seong Kim got hurt shortly after signing with Atlanta. Not only was he a tremendous defender at short, but Dubon was also one of the Braves' better hitters during their torrid start to the season. However, Dubon did come back to earth, the Braves started to give Kim and others time at shortstop, and that was the end of that.
At least, that is what we all thought. While Dubon's bat did swoon a bit, he has been looking significantly better of late. With the Braves' other shortstop options looking pretty brutal this season and in the next year or so, it feels like Atlanta needs to stop ignoring the solution right in front of them, even if Dubon isn't meant to be their shortstop of the future.
Braves need to keep Mauricio Dubon around even if they want a different shortstop long-term
Dubon's career track record at the plate has created some deserved skepticism about his offensive upside. However, he was a significantly better hitter than his career averages early on in the season, and over his last 17 games, Dubon is slashing .328/.354/.377. The surprising power he showed in the first half doesn't seem to have stuck, but Dubon's bat, combined with his defensive acumen, has been more than good enough in 2026.
That is great news, because the Braves' options for the foreseeable future at shortstop look pretty rough. Kim appears to be a bust, Jim Jarvis flamed out after a hot start, and most of the prospects that could fill in are at least a year away, if not longer. Making matters worse, a quick look at the upcoming free agent class shows that the pickings are incredibly slim at shortstop on the market. In short, to address shortstop in the short term, the Braves will have to either keep Dubon or get very creative in a trade market that is about to get interrupted by the upcoming work stoppage.
Keeping Dubon just seems like an easy solution. Even on a multi-year deal, Dubon shouldn't be prohibitively expensive, and he can absolutely handle shortstop defensively at the bare minimum. If Atlanta finds another shortstop option down the line, whether in the form of a prospect promotion, trade, or signing, they can always shift Dubon back to the super-utility role that they wanted him for in the first place.
Is Dubon a perfect solution at shortstop in 2027? Absolutely not, but Bobby Witt Jr. isn't available, no matter how many deities you appeal to. The Braves have to evaluate the options that are actually going to be available to them, and no matter how things work out in the years to come, keeping Dubon beyond this season has to be the starting point.
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