The Atlanta Braves are on the brink of elimination in the MLB playoffs.
Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, after three games, ATL is down 2-1 in the series and will send Tyler Mahle to the mound with its season on the line.
With a lackluster offensive showing for much of the series, the Braves must make a Ronald Acuña Jr. change, who is dealing with some knee soreness and has underperformed for the Braves this entire postseason.
That ‘change’ must come in the form of some sort of demotion, whether it be to the bench or down in the batting order.
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Braves Can’t Keep Hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. First or 2nd Amid Slump
Look, the MLB playoffs are all about adjustments, and that starts with the managers of each tea,
If you look to how the Dodgers have handled some of their starters underperforming, Dave Roberts decided to move Shohei Ohtani to the fifth spot in the order on Tuesday for Game Three, and Braves’ manager Walt Weiss needs to do something similar with Ronald Acuña Jr.
What Should the Braves Do with Ronald Acuña Jr.?
If Ronald Acuña Jr. is really dealing with a knee injury, perhaps the Braves should opt to use him in a different role.
It already feels decided that he won’t play right field during Game Four, but Walt Weiss should also bump him down in the batting order, as Roberts did with Shohei Ohtani.
Ronald can still have an impact in a different role, but him being a black hole in the lineup is clearly holding the Braves’ lineup back a bit.
It will be interesting to see when the Braves’ batting order drops this afternoon where Ronald Acuña Jr, is slotted, and then how that impacts the team for Game Four.
Atlanta Braves Must Demote Ronald Acuña Jr. Before NLDS Game 4