With Ronald Acuña Jr. finally returning to the Atlanta Braves lineup nearly a year after tearing his ACL, it finally feels like the 2025 season can truly get going now. In the 49 games the club played without their superstar slugger, the Braves managed a mediocre 24-25 record.
The outfield has been one of the team's biggest holes during the first two months of the season, as the Braves outfield combined for a .228/.276/.335 slash line and a 68 wRC+, making them the second-worst hitting outfield in baseball.
Acuña Jr. will no doubt improve that mark, but with his return, Brian Snitker had a decision to make with which outfielder will get the bulk of the playing time. With the first lineup of the 2025 Acuña Jr. era out, it appears that Alex Verdugo will continue to play everyday, or at least stay in the strong side of the platoon.
Why starting Alex Verdugo over Eli White will hurt the Braves
While it already seems like a lifetime ago when the Braves were starting Bryan De La Cruz and Jarred Kelenic everyday in the outfield, the Braves have still struggled to get much production out of the three spots since May began, with the team's wRC+ actually dropping this month compared to April.
Alex Verdugo, Eli White, and Michael Harris II all have a wRC+ under 70, but surprisingly, White comes out as the only player to not put up a negative WAR this month, thanks to his speed and defense.
Michael Harris II has continued to play elite defense and it would be hard to justify moving him out of his everyday role, despite his frigid start to the season. Acuña was never going to supplant Harris.
But the decision to start Eli White or Alex Verdugo everyday, or even put them in a platoon was always up in the air. With the release of Friday night's lineup against the Padres, it appears the Braves manager has tipped his hand.
Alex Verdugo has been among one of the worst hitters in baseball this month, but it looks Snitker is still committed to getting him into the lineup for now, at least against righties.
On one hand, it does make sense. Verdugo has at least proven to be a mediocre hitter in the majors, while Eli White's track record is much worse, aside from his April hot streak. On the other hand, however, relegating White to a platoon role, at best is questionable.
White has outhit Verdugo by every metric this season. the 30-year-old speedster also does not have the platoon splits one might expect – the righty outfielder has a 124 wRC+ against righties but a 55 wRC+ against lefties. By putting White in a platoon, Brian Snitker and the Braves will get the worst version of White.
Additionally, White has a much more diverse skillset than Verdugo. White does laps around the former Yankee (literally), coming in nearly four feet/second faster. This speed, unsurpisingly, has also translated to White being a much more competent defender, with a league average 0 OAA, compared to Verdugo's -2 OAA.
The Braves still have a month until Jurickson Profar returns, which will cause another shakeup to the outfield. For now, it seems like Brian Snitker is continuing to make the wrong decision with his lineup.