The Atlanta Braves are opening a new MLB series on Monday.
After dropping their weekend series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Braves are headed on the road to face the Minnesota Twins.
Before the Twins series began on Monday, Atlanta revealed their lineup for the series opener, and it features a surprising Mauricio Dubon decision.
Update: The Braves lost their series opener on Monday night by a score of 4-2. Mauricio Dubon went 0-for-3 with one walk.
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Mauricio Dubon Batting Fifth in Series Opener
After a day off on Sunday, Dubon is back in the Atlanta Braves batting order on Monday, batting fifth and playing left field.
Here is the full batting order for the Atlanta Braves on 8/17, per @UnderdogMLB:
Braves 8/17: “D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. DH M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF O. Albies 2B M. Yastrzemski RF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS M. Pérez SP”
D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. DH M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF O. Albies 2B M. Yastrzemski RF A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS
M. Pérez SP
Some notable changes from the lineup drop include Drake Baldwin catching for the series opener, while Ronald Acuña Jr. is the DH today, and Jim Jarvis is back at shortstop. Austin Riley bats eighth on Monday, and there aren’t many other changes to this Braves order compared to Sunday.
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Inside Mauricio Dubon’s MLB Season Thus Far
Mauricio Dubón batting fifth for the Braves is a bit of a surprise, because he’s usually hitting somewhere between sixth and eighth in Atlanta’s order.
However, manager Walt Weiss clearly has a lot of trust in Dubón, who has been a revelation for Atlanta this season.
His utility role and defensive versatility have been extremely valuable, and Dubón has also provided some offense as well.
Over 117 games played, Dubón is batting .262 with 10 home runs, 115 hits, 61 RBI, and an OPS+ of 93.
There have been reports that Dubon would be open to a contract extension with Atlanta, and that’s something the Braves may be interested in as well.
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Atlanta Braves Announce Surprising Mauricio Dubon Decision Before Twins Series