Braves Announce Mauricio Dubon Decision After Unfortunate News

Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images

Braves Announce Mauricio Dubon Decision After Unfortunate News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 11, 2026 5:30 PM ET

The Atlanta Braves ended their three-game losing streak on Thursday, taking the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, moments before game time they lost one of their most important platoon players. Outfielder Lane Thomas suffered a left side injury while warming up in the batting cages.

On Friday, the Braves officially moved him to the 10-day injured list. Thomas is not expected to be ready when first eligible and will likely be out for the next four weeks, which could mean he misses the first two rounds of the MLB playoffs.

Thomas was acquired from the Kansas City Royals at this year’s trade deadline, and while he has not performed well since joining the Braves he still represented a proven option against left-handed pitching.

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss (22)Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

That is how Atlanta fit him in, with Thomas and Mike Yastrzemski sharing left field depending on whether the opposing starter threw from the left or right side, with the other subbing in when the matchup was unfavorable.

With Thomas now unavailable, manager Walt Weiss no longer has that luxury. He did reveal his plan moving forward when speaking with reporters during pregame Friday.

Weiss announced that Ha-Seong Kim would be starting at shortstop against left-handers with utility man Mauricio Dubon heading out to left field in Thomas’ place, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.

Walt confirmed that Dubon will likely play LF and Kim will be at short vs LH starters
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 11, 2026

The alignment makes sense because the Braves still get to keep multiple right-handed hitters in the lineup against southpaws.

Dubon’s versatility has been one of the most valuable assets Atlanta has had this year, fitting in wherever the team needs him. Across 139 games, the 32-year-old has posted a .264 batting average, .307 on-base percentage and .690 OPS while being a pesky presence at the plate.

As for Kim, he now earns an extended look after showing signs of life offensively since mid-August.