Harris II’s struggles at bat overshadow Braves’ defensive prowess

The Atlanta Braves lost 2-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. Michael Harris II watched the entire game from the Braves’ dugout. Harris had the day off, in fact, he had the last two days off.

Michael Harris II was hitless in his last 19 at-bats following the Braves’ 13-0 loss to National League East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, on Friday, June 27. Harris didn’t start on Saturday and was out of the lineup when the two teams met on Sunday afternoon. There’s a case for having Michael Harris in the Braves’ lineup every day, but Braves manager Brian Snitker said he wanted to give Harris some time off.

“That was the plan, to give him these two, tomorrow, and he’ll be back there on Tuesday,” Snitker said.

The man who replaced Harris in centerfied on Sunday, Eli White, finished the game 0-3 with a walk.

Harris II’s batting average hasn’t dipped below .200, but it’s getting close. He’s hitting .212 on the season with 43 RBI, six home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 18 runs scored. To go along with that 0-19 from the plate, Harris has only produced a single RBI during that span. Batting everywhere between the seventh and ninth spots in the lineup, Harris has had plenty of opportunities to drive in runs, and early on, he briefly led the team in RBI. The recent tear that first baseman Matt Olson has been on has put him firmly in the team lead with 52.

The case for Harris II can be made because he is one of the top defensive players in Major League Baseball. The defense for keeping him out of the lineup was made stronger when Braves centerfielder Eli White, at least on Sunday, tracked down a deep fly ball to center field by his counterpart, Brandon Marsh. There weren’t any Phillies on base when Marsh hit the ball, but the top of the lineup was following Marsh to the plate. White’s catch ended the inning. Harris’s defense has saved the Braves several runs this season, too. But it has been his lack of hitting that seems to have him out of the lineup for the first time in his young career. Several times during the broadcast of Sunday’s game, the camera panned to Harris II sitting in the dugout. It was hard to tell what Harris’s emotions were through his sunglasses.

An Alex Bohm double to center field could arguably be considered a routine play for Harris. Instead, White misjudged the ball as it careened off the wall. Philadelphia, already ahead 2-1 in the eighth inning, did not score during the inning, so no harm was done. For now.

Harris signed an 8-year, $72 million contract extension in 2022, just months into his professional career. The contact made sense at the time. Harris was a bright star, quickly finding his footing in the Majors. Three years later, Harris is picking up spot appearances as a defensive replacement, like he did Saturday night.

In Harris’s absence on Sunday, the bottom third of the Braves lineup went 0-9, including a pinch-hitting at-bat and strikeout by Drake Baldwin, who was hitting for shortstop Nick Allen, who finished the game 0-1 with two walks. It’s hard to argue that Harris II could not have made similar, if not better, contributions during this game.

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