What Braves Manager Brian Snitker Hopes to See After Sitting Harris

Michael Harris II’s name is absent from the Atlanta Braves starting lineup for the first time this season. Eli White gets the start in centerfield and Stuart Fairchild gets a start in left field. 

After six games without a hit and no walks going back to May 18, manager Brian Snitker held it was best to give Harris a chance to take it easy for a night or two. 

“I think every now and then, there comes a time where you toy with the only way you’re gonna get it going is to get in there and grind through it, and at other times, I think you just let them sit back and watch and maybe see that it’s not as hard as they’re making it be,” Snitker said. 

To be clear, he's not being benched per se. That paints the wrong picture. He's still the starting center fielder. He's being given a game or two to breathe. Starters get a day off all the time.

Harris, to his own admission, has been struggling with patience at the plate. Snitker said he thinks it’s easier said than done, even as a Major Leaguer, to tweak discipline, but the goal is to help clear Harris’ head and see if that can change things.

“It sounds easy, and then you step back and you watch, and you’re not that batter's box going through with that individual, it’s a lot harder than what it seems,” Snitker said. “At some point, maybe something like this does calm things down for him, and that’s what I hope for him.”

Harris’ walk rate is down from 4.9% in 2024 to 3.1% in 2025. He’s also seen a drop in hard-hit balls (47% to 40.2%) and barrel rate (10% to 6.1%). Patience ties in to all of these. Reaching for pitches leads to more whiffs and weaker contact when contact is made. 

Snitker emphasized that Harris is still going out there and putting in the effort. While this example is one defense, the diving catch in a 13-0 loss on Friday showed that he’s not holding back.  

Snitker hinted at potentially getting Harris in later in the game. The ultimate goal is for him to watch a few innings and see everything unfold from an off-the-field perspective. Even if he plays in some capacity, having him come off the bench still shakes things up. 

In 81 games played, Harris is batting .212 with a .559 OPS, a 54 OPS+, six home runs and 43 RBIs. He’s taken advantage of the hits he’s gotten in clutch situations, but there has been a dilemma of producing in between those situations. 

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