Mike

Yastrzemski

It looks to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 36-year-old outfielder. Mauricio Dubon will cover left field in his absence while Ha-Seong Kim starts at shortstop and will bat ninth against Rockies’ right-hander Mason Adams.

The 28-year-old superstar has really struggled since his return from the injured list in late July, slashing a woeful .188/.248/.366 with six homers, 13 RBI, three swipes and a 33/8 K/BB ratio over 121 plate appearances. A day off to clear his head against Dodgers’ right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto isn’t the worst idea in the world. Mike Yastremzki will start in his place in right field and bat seventh for the Braves.

Yastrzemski was 1-for-13 in his previous five games, so the Braves had him batting ninth today for the first time since June 23. Reaching four times might get him bumped back up to seventh on Saturday.

Yastrzemski did his damage off of Jake Irvin in the fifth inning, with his 413-foot (104.7-mph EV) two-run blast tying the score at three runs apiece. It has been a rough season overall at the plate for the 35-year-old outfielder, slashing just .226/.313/.363 to go along with seven long balls and 30 RBI in 281 plate appearances.

The Padres have left-hander Kyle Hart opening in front of Griffin Canning today, but with Smith and Mike Yastrzemski in the lineup, the Braves are treating it as if they were facing a right-handed starter. As a result, Joey Bart and Eli White, who both usually start versus lefties, are on the bench. Smith could use a big day; he seems like a candidate to lose his roster spot when Ronald Acuña Jr. is activated.

Kyle Farmer was released to open up a spot. Yastrzemski missed the minimum 10 days with elbow inflammation. He’ll likely take over as the right fielder against right-handers for now. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns, Dominic Smith, the typical DH against righties, could lose most of his playing time and or maybe his roster spot entirely.

Yastrzemski hits the shelf with two games left before the All-Star break. No word yet on the severity of the issue. The 35-year-old platoon outfielder has hit .230/.321/.365 with six homers, 28 RBI and one steal in 262 plate appearances over 85 games this season.

In a game without much offense, Yastrzemski’s seventh inning home run wound up being the difference for the Braves. He’s had a disappointing season so far with just four home runs, 19 RBI, and a .227 batting average while playing nearly every day. That playing time isn’t going anywhere though, especially after Ronald Acuña Jr. just recently went back on the injured list.

Yastrzemski clobbered a 398-foot (102.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Sandy Alcantara in the second inning that increased the Braves’ early advantage to 3-0. He then singled and scored on an RBI knock by Ronald Acuna Jr. in the fifth inning. Yastrzemski also smacked an RBI double in the sixth that made it a 6-2 game. With his three-hit attack, the 35-year-old outfielder is now slashing .234/.305/.365 with three long balls and 14 RBI on the season.

Yaz, currently in a platoon with José Azocar, drew the start in right field as Atlanta faced Brayan Bello. The veteran outfielder then took advantage of the matchup with a fourth-inning solo homer off Bello, one of two long balls the starter surrendered. Yastrzemski will shift back to left field once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from injury, and he’ll continue starting against most right-handers.