The Atlanta Braves are coming off a Labor Day weekend series with the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was a series split between the two NL clubs, and on Tuesday, September 8, the Braves will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in a new MLB series.
In the series opener, the Braves are rolling with AJ Smith-Shawver as their starter, while the Rays are going with Freddy Peralta. Because Peralta is starting for the Rays, that has prompted a series of lineup tweaks for the Braves.
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Braves’ Michael Harris II Batting Leadoff on Tuesday
Braves manager Walt Weiss has decided to slot Michael Harris II in the leadoff spot for the series opener against the Rays.
Here is the full Braves batting order for 9/8, per @UnderdogMLB:
Braves 9/8: “M. Harris II CF R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B D. Baldwin DH M. Dubón SS O. Albies 2B A. Riley 3B M. Yastrzemski LF S. Murphy C A. Smith-Shawver SP”
M. Harris II CF R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B D. Baldwin DH M. Dubón SS O. Albies 2B A. Riley 3B M. Yastrzemski LF S. Murphy C
A. Smith-Shawver SP
Other lineup changes include Drake Baldwin batting cleanup, Matt Olson moving from 4th to 3rd, and Ronald Acuña Jr, being bumped to the second spot in the order. Sean Murphy is behind the dish to catch Smith-Shawver, and Mike Yastrzemski is also in the outfield on Tuesday.
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Michael Harris II’s 2026 Season By the Numbers
Michael Harris II has played 138 games for the Atlanta Braves this season.
He is batting .291 with 24 home runs, 32 doubles, and an OPS+ of 120.
Harris II has also added 152 hits, 67 runs scored, 80 RBI, and a bWAR of 4.4.
He also plays exceptional defense for the Braves and is on the field pretty much every day.
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