Ronald Acuña Jr. development lets Braves unlock best lineup
How the Atlanta Braves use Ronald Acuña Jr. in their lineup could help them win even more games.
The Atlanta Braves, under their first-year manager Walt Weiss, have had a successful season so far, sitting at 73-48 and leading the National League East by nine games. They are currently one and a half games back from the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL’s top seed. In their lineup for Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ronald Acuña Jr. is the designated hitter, a role he has taken on five times since returning from the injured list on July 27.
Acuña's transition to DH is beneficial as it reduces his injury risk, as he has missed 52 games this season due to injury. Although he is a great hitter, his defensive abilities in right field are not top-notch, with a -34 outs above average since 2022 and an additional -6 this season. By moving Yastrzemski to right field, the Braves can take advantage of Mike Yastrzemski's better defensive skills. Yastrzemski, who has a .741 OPS against right-handed pitching this season, will be in better defensive position.
The left field position is filled by Mauricio Dubón, who has a .731 OPS this season and is known for his reverse splits. This lineup configuration also allows the Braves to put Drake Baldwin at catcher, who is serviceable behind the plate and has been productive at the plate with 20 home runs and a .812 OPS. This move prevents Sean Murphy from cracking the lineup, as the offensive gap between him and Baldwin makes Baldwin's presence much more valuable.
However, it is yet to be seen how well Acuña will adapt to playing DH after spending most of his career in the outfield.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
