Jorge

Mateo

Kim is starting at shortstop for the second time in the last three games after sitting out for an extended stretch last week. Jorge Mateo seems to be getting a real chance to play everyday with Kim shifting into more of a bench role recently. He’s hit just .089 (4-for-45) with two RBI and one steal in 13 games since making his Atlanta debut last month.

The Braves are going with the hot hand at short and that meant Mateo again tonight. He’s started four games in a row, DHing in the first of those but playing three at shortstop since. He probably won’t keep this up for much longer, but he’s currently at .316/.358/.487 through 81 plate appearances. Mateo hit .216/.261/.350 in 641 plate appearances from 2023-25.

Kim finds himself glued to the bench after hitting .095 (4-for-42) with zero extra-base hits in 12 games since making his season debut back on May 12. It appears that Atlanta skipper Walt Weiss is going to give Jorge Mateo a chance as the club’s primary shortstop as long as he keeps producing.

It looks to be a routine day off for Kim against Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle. Kim has struggled mightily since returning from his torn finger tendon, hitting just .095/.191/.095 in 12 games for the Braves so far. Jorge Mateo is manning shortstop today in his absence.

The Braves continue to ease the 30-year-old infielder back into full-time action. He’s off to a slow start at the dish, hitting .077 (1-for-13) with a pair of strikeouts through his first four games. Jorge Mateo will start at shortstop and will bat seventh for the Braves on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

Mateo was limited to bench work for a couple of days due to a jammed thumb. He’s getting the nod over Jim Jarvis tonight.

Mateo could be a sneaky pickup while Ronald Acuña Jr is out. The Braves will likely roll with him at shortstop and use Mauricio Dubón in the outfield most of the time until Acuña returns, and Mateo, still one of the game’s best basestealers, is hitting .286/.318/.476 this far.

The Braves are calling it left hamstring tightness, though that doesn’t mean much of anything. Acuña grabbed his hamstring coming out of the box after hitting a groundball. He continued down to first, and it didn’t appear to be a particularly severe injury. Best-case scenario, it might have even been just a cramp. Still, the better bet is that he’s going to miss some time. That would likely mean more shortstop starts for Jorge Mateo, with Mauricio Dubón playing right field.

With his .951 OPS, Mauricio Dubón has been great while filling in for Ha-Seong Kim this season, but Mateo has been even better in his limited chances, going 7-for-15 with a homer and a double. Once Kim and Sean Murphy return, the Braves are actually going to have a quality bench for the first time since their World Series season in 2021.

It’s the first day off on the season for the 29-year-old slugger, though he may still appear as a pinch-hitter in a critical spot off the bench. Mauricio Dubon will start in his place at the hot corner and bat seventh while Jorge Mateo draws a start at shortstop and will hit ninth against Brandon Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks.