The Braves should be playing Sean Murphy every day

Walt Weiss has been changing things up on a daily basis trying to find the right combination, but I question what’s so difficult to see here. The only switches should be coming in left field, with Lane Thomas starting against southpaws and Mike Yastrzemski starting against right-handed pitchers.

Outside of that, this is the best lineup in every single aspect.

The shortstop position has been a subject of conversation. The Braves seem to be forcing Jim Jarvis to be something he’s not, starting him when right-handed pitchers are on the mound. Jarvis brings some chops defensively — though I’m not sure he’s better than Mauricio Dubon. The issue is his offense. He offers next to no power and is hitting just .125 with a .353 OPS over his last 21 games. There’s no amount of defense that makes up for those numbers, especially when the Braves have a proven quality option in Dubon.

Using Dubon at shortstop also opens the DH spot for Drake Baldwin, allowing Sean Murphy to start behind the plate.

And I really don’t know what the Braves are trying to do with Murphy. If he’s healthy, he should be starting damn near every night. He’s by far the better defensive catcher. He’s also better at calling games than Baldwin. And if Murphy can ever find a rhythm with the stick, he gives the Braves offense so much more upside than any other option.

This is a guy who, even in a down season a year ago, accrued 2.5 WAR over just 94 games, hitting 16 home runs with a .704 OPS. In a good season? Murphy has recorded an OPS north of .803 three different times in his career. At this very moment, the Braves have exactly one player in their lineup — Matt Olson — with an OPS higher than that.

So, seriously, what the hell are we doing here? I know Murphy has had a rough go of it over the last three years, dealing with a plethora of injuries. But the Braves should be using these final six weeks as a runway to see if they can get him going offensively.

If Weiss were sitting Murphy to create opportunities for a young stud oozing with upside, it might make a lick of sense. But we’re talking about Jim Jarvis — a guy who was barely ranked as a prospect and has shown nothing to suggest he’s around the corner from a breakout offensive campaign.

This is the one decision I can’t wrap my head around. Unless he isn’t healthy enough to play most days, Sean Murphy should be behind the plate. He’s a player who could really change the outlook of the Braves going into the postseason.