Time for Braves to switch things up in a major way

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results — or, as it’s better known in 2025, the Atlanta Braves offense.

On Thursday night, the Braves had a real opportunity to end their road trip on a high note, taking three out of four against the Mets and gaining ground on both division leaders before heading home for a pivotal stretch before the All-Star break. It might have been the biggest game of the season to date, and Atlanta’s lineup had a fairly juicy matchup on paper, facing the struggling Griffin Canning, a pitcher they hung seven runs on last season.

Following a very encouraging start to the year, Canning entered Thursday with a 5.97 ERA over his last seven starts, much more in line with the type of pitcher he is. However, he didn’t have much trouble setting down the Braves in order, allowing just one hit over 2.2 innings before leaving the game with an ankle injury.

That should have opened the door for the Braves to feast on a Mets bullpen that came in overworked and unreliable. Instead? The offense produced two hits over the final 6.1 innings and reached scoring position just once. Not only did they fail to score — they barely threatened.

At this point, this is just who the Atlanta Braves are as an offense. Michael Harris II is the worst qualified hitter in baseball. Alex Verdugo, Ozzie Albies, and Nick Allen aren’t far behind. Austin Riley is playing like a journeyman third baseman rather than the highest paid player in franchise history, and Sean Murphy has been a potato with the bat for about two months now. Unless Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, or Drake Baldwin is in the batter’s box, you might as well change the channel.

It’s past the point of frustration. It’s time for the Braves to start shaking things up considerably.

Unfortunately, one of the few internal solutions — Nacho Alvarez — strained his oblique during Thursday’s game in Gwinnett, or he’d be an easy replacement for Albies. For now, Albies stays by default, but when Alvarez returns, the Braves should not hesitate to make a change if Albies continues to underperform.

Carlos Rodriguez is currently hitting .300 in AAA Gwinnett and can fill one of Atlanta’s outfield spots. He may not ever be a major-league regular, but he cannot be worse than what the Braves are trotting out there right now. Eli White is a AAAA player, and Verdugo might be the worst all-around contributor — offensively, defensively, and on the basepaths — in the sport.

Drake Baldwin needs to be starting 85% of the games. Matchups be damned, he’s the better catcher, especially offensively.

A significant jumbling of the lineup should also be considered. Everybody loves Ronald Acuña Jr. in the leadoff spot, but he’s one of the few players that’s a threat to go yard right now. The tear in Marcell Ozuna‘s hip is clearly affecting his power. He has just one homer this month, but he is still getting on base at a high clip. Bat him leadoff and give Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson the chance to drive him in — not the other way around.

If all of this sounds a little extreme, it’s because it is. But what the Braves are doing right now isn’t just ineffective — it’s embarrassing. This is one of the worst offenses in baseball, and a clear message needs to be sent: if you hit, you play. If not, find a nice cozy spot on the bench.