The Atlanta Braves outfield may soon be without all three projected opening day starters as May winds on.
Jurickson Profar is suspended for the entire season. Ronald Acuna Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. And now Michael Harris, Atlanta’s best hitter this season, may also be unavailable.
Harris has been dealing with a left quad injury suffered on April 23 during a game against the Washington Nationals. He has avoided an injured list stint and even briefly returned to center field, but the soreness has not subsided.
When Atlanta released its lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners, Harris was absent for a second straight game.
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Harris has not played the field since Wednesday and has started only once at designated hitter since. He has been available off the bench as a pinch hitter, but it is clear he is not at full strength. Given the Braves entered Monday with MLB’s best record, 25-10, there is no reason to rush him back, even with a depleted outfield.
Before Monday’s game, manager Walt Weiss spoke with reporters and acknowledged the team may soon have no choice but to place Harris on the 10-day injured list if the quad does not improve. “You pull the plug on it if it starts to get worse at any time. There’s a tipping point right? We can’t continue with this for another two weeks,” he said (h/t Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Clearly, Harris will need time to fully recover. If he lands on the injured list, it would be a massive loss for Atlanta. The 25-year-old center fielder has posted a .321 batting average, .354 on-base percentage, .911 OPS, seven home runs and 22 RBIs across 32 games.
Harris is having his best offensive season since 2022, when he won National League Rookie of the Year. For a Braves team with championship expectations, losing Harris for any stretch would test their depth in a way they hoped to avoid.
