Michael Harris II goes 2-for-4, homers in victory

The 25-year-old outfielder will get a breather with tough left-hander Max Fried toeing the slab for the Yankees. Mauricio Dubon will start in his place in center field and will bat fifth for the Braves on Friday evening in New York.

Harris changed this game with his three-run homer in the sixth inning. It more or less chased Nationals’ starter Foster Griffin and gave the Braves a commanding 5-1 lead. It was an impressive blast too at 112.8 mph off the bat and traveling an estimated 421 feet. He’s in a bit of a cold spell with just five hits in his last 27 at-bats – and of course just one walk over that span – so here’s to hoping this big game can help him get off the schneid.

Harris’ home run was his eighth of the season. He hit a solo shot off JP Sears in the fifth inning. It’s his second home run in the last three games. Harris now has six RBI in four games since the All-Star break. He’s hitting .301 with an .837 OPS and 59 RBI this year.

Harris’ home run was his 17th of the season. He hit a solo shot off MacKenzie Gore in the third inning. Harris is 21-for-66 (.318) with three home runs and 14 RBI in 14 games in July. He’s hitting .299 with an .829 OPS and 57 RBI on the year.

Harris tore the cover off the ball during a four-game series against the Mets, going 10-for-20 with nine RBI, while notching four straight multi-hit performances during that span. The 25-year-old is atop Atlanta’s lineup for the second consecutive contest and is hitting .319 (38-for-119) with four homers, 21 RBI and two steals over his last 30 games. He’s legitimately one of the hottest hitters in baseball leading into the All-Star break. He’ll face a tough test with Pirates ace Paul Skenes on the mound for Tuesday’s series opener.

Harris gets the nod atop Atlanta’s lineup against Mets starter Freddy Peralta after going 7-for-14 with two homers and seven RBI during the first three games of the series. The 25-year-old outfielder has been a streaky fantasy contributor the last few years. He’s in the middle of a strong stretch at the moment, hitting .299 (35-for-117) with four homers, 19 RBI and two steals over his last 30 games.

Harris knocked a base hit in the third inning to drive in a run and scored on a double. He then singled and scored in the seventh before taking Luis Torrens deep for a solo homer in the eighth. The 25-year-old outfielder is having an excellent season, hitting .301/.334/.507 with 16 homers, 41 runs scored, 48 RBI, and five steals across 314 plate appearances.

Harris rejoined Atlanta’s lineup for Saturday’s showdown following a two-game absence due to a lingering lower back issue that’s cost him a couple games in recent weeks. The positive news for fantasy managers is that he doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy of requiring a trip to the injured list. The 25-year-old outfielder has been swinging the bat extremely well in recent weeks, hitting .302 (35-for-116) with seven homers over his last 30 games.

It had looked like Harris would miss his third straight game due to a nagging back issue, but he worked out before the game and decided he was able to give it a go. He’ll start in center field and bat fifth for the Braves with Mauricio Dubon shifting to left and Eli White being removed from the team’s starting lineup.

Braves’ skipper Walt Weiss noted that Harris is feeling much improved and could be available off the bench to pinch-hit on Saturday. It sounds like he should be ready to return to the starting lineup on Sunday. Mauricio Dubon will once again start in his place in center field and bat leadoff against Brewers’ left-hander Kyle Harrison.