Braves' Michael Harris II Faces Backlash Following Recent Struggles at the Plate
Braves' Michael Harris II Faces Backlash Following Recent Struggles at the Plate originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Atlanta Braves have continued to face scrutiny due to their performance in the 2025 MLB season.
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With a 35-41 record heading into a four-game series against a division rival in the New York Mets, the Braves are heading into must-win mode to stay relevant in the National League Wild Card race.
One noticeable struggling point that Atlanta might need to address soon is with outfielder Michael Harris II.
@ Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The 24-year-old defensive standout has struggled at the plate this season. With a .223 batting and a .585 OPS, he has started all 76 games for the Braves in 2025 but has yet to raise his batting average above the .254 mark he held in late April.
His .178 BA in June has drawn attention to his inability to draw a walk in 112 plate straight plate appearances dating back all the way to May 18.
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Maybe it's time for the Braves to give the young outfielder a break in the big leagues and demote him for a stint in Triple-A.
Atlanta's sports station, 680 The Fan, spoke on Harris II's struggles this season, and mentioned that he should be given a break by the Braves, highlighting his failure to extend Atlanta's potential ninth inning comeback against the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
"Michael Harris doesn't deserve to be written into the lineup... His only goal was to ensure that Ronald Acuna got another at-bat. I trust Nick Allen more to get me to a Ronald Acuna at-bat than Michael Harris. That's the epiphany for me," is what was said this morning.
Michael Harris II went up to the plate with a two-run deficit on Sunday and with a man on first, grounded out into a double play, leading to Ronald Acuna Jr. not being able to get another at-bat to possibly spark a rally for the Braves. They would later lose to the Marlins with a final score of 5-3.
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Maybe it's time for the Braves to give Michael Harris II a break this season in Triple-A and turn to someone else to bat at the eight spot for Atlanta.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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