Just about June already, eh?
Time flies when you’re having fun … which means it’s gotta be moving pretty slowly for a certain Braves shortstop right about now.
STRUGGLES AT SHORTSTOP
Credit: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Credit: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
By Chad Bishop, Braves beat writer
Ha-Seong Kim is struggling. A lot.
The Braves’ $20-million shortstop, who had only played 12 games before sitting out Thursday’s series finale in Boston, is hitting .095. He has 13 strikeouts. His OPS is .286.
It hasn’t been an easy 2026 in the least for Kim.
A torn tendon in his middle finger stemming from a slip on a patch of ice in Korea in January was not a good omen. Kim missed all of spring training, then played just nine games between Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett before the Braves reinstated him May 12.
- Since rejoining the big-league club, Kim has four hits — all singles — in 42 at-bats.
- At shortstop, Kim’s fielding run value is -3 and his outs above average is -4. He has made three errors already.
Braves manager Walt Weiss came to his defense Wednesday at Fenway Park.
“I said this when he came back, it’s just so difficult,” Weiss said. “You don’t have a spring training, and when you’ve missed a lot of time for consecutive years — this game, these guys make it look really easy, but the game is extremely fast at this level. A rehab assignment does no justice to how fast this game is up here, so it just takes time to get caught up.
“And we all know Kim’s track record. He’s been a really good player in this league. I think we have to be patient in the early going here to help him get caught up to the speed of this game.”
The Braves, of course, have other options for shortstop in Jorge Mateo and Mauricio Dubón. That duo combined is making 35.5% of Kim’s 2026 salary, yet Dubón (playing multiple positions) has been sensational in his first season with the Braves. And Mateo, who posted back-to-back two-hit games at Fenway, is hitting .324 in 34 games.
Can a team put a $20-million player on the bench? The Braves may have to consider it if current trends continue.
Yes, yes they might! Y’all make sure to follow Chad at @MrChadBishop. And keep on scrolling.
NON-STARS TURNED MONSTARS
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
All that Kim talk feels like a pretty good segue to the results from last week’s “Who’s Your Favorite Brave That’s Not One of the Main Guys?” poll.
And I bet you can guess who won.
🎉 Dubón, the most utile of utility men, took about 54% of the vote.
“Is it even a competition?” Duane from Decherd, Tennessee, wrote. “I mean — Swiss Army knife!”
He’s got a whole lot of tools, that’s for sure. But let’s not sell the rest of the B-List All-Stars short.
- Designated masher Dominic Smith (one of baseball’s best bargains) came in second with 30% of the vote.
- Mike Yastrzemski (9%), Eli White (4%) and Martín Pérez (3%) followed in single digits.
Mateo, the bench guy hitting .324, didn’t get a single vote. Tough crowd (and field).
Of course, if I was offering the options this week, I would’ve thrown in extra-innings hero Chadwick Tromp, too.
He’ll have to settle for the All-Onomatopoeia Team instead.
Tromp. Tromp-tromp-tromp.
TROMP.
QUICK, SOME OTHER NEWS!
⚖️ Remember that lawsuit involving former team employees and auctioned-off bases from Hank Aaron’s 715th home run? The Braves have now dropped their claims.
🤕 Catcher Drake Baldwin could, technically, come off the 10-day injured list right about nowish … but there’s no timetable for his return. Oblique strains are finicky, and it could be another couple weeks.
🫰 Michael Harris II is good at hitting again, and this deep(ish) dive is worth a gander.
⬆️ How rough was Bryce Elder’s start against the Red Sox on Wednesday? Well, his ERA jumped a whole half point, from 1.97 to 2.50.
📝 The Cubs inked recently exiled Braves reliever Aaron Bummer to a minor league deal, per USA Today.
😬 The Win Column loves shenanigans and late ‘90s wrestling as much as anyone. But this Brewers reliever giving the opposing dugout three solid thrusts of the Degeneration X crotch chop qualifies as poor decision making.
🦷 Phillies weirdo Bryce Harper says he’s, uh, always squirted toothpaste directly into his mouth while brushing his teeth. (And a dentist told the AP he’s never seen a grown-up do that.)
📈 MLB owners pitched a salary cap Thursday, which the players union is extremely unlikely to agree to. In fact, the last time they even proposed it was 1994 … and that didn’t end well.
WHAT’S ON DECK, IN BRIEF
🗓️ The Reds in Cincinnati: Los Bravos start a weekend series at the Great American Small … er, Ballpark tonight at 6:40. Saturday and Sunday’s festivities begin at 7:15 p.m. and 1:40 p.m., respectively.
Every team in the National League Central is above .500, including 29-26 Cincinnati. First baseman Sal Stewart and giant shortstop Elly De La Cruz lead their offensive attack, with 12 homers apiece as of Thursday afternoon.
Atlanta’s stars should enjoy themselves, too:
- Matt Olson has seven homers and 17 RBIs in 11 career games in Cincinnati.
- Austin Riley has 16 hits, including four homers, in 12 games.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. is hitting .339 with an OPS over 1.000.
Grant Holmes, Martín Pérez and Spencer Strider are slated to start for the Braves against Chris Paddack, Brady Singer and Nick Lodolo — all who sport ERAs over 5.50.
🗓️ The Blue Jays at Truist: Tuesday through Thursday’s contests all start at 7:15 p.m.
As of Thursday, the Blue Jays were two games under .500, had scored the ninth-fewest runs in MLB and sported a run differential of minus-4. They’re missing top starters Dylan Cease and Shane Bieber.
- The first 15,000 folks through the Truist Park gates on Tuesday get a bobblehead commemorating David Justice’s homer in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series.
- Wednesday’s giveaway is a Drake Baldwin Braves hockey jersey.
Perhaps you’ve seen a commercial or 6,000 for the latter.
‘REST WELL, MY FRIEND AND TEAMMATE’
Credit: AJC file
Credit: AJC file
Not much to say about the late, great Bob Horner that hasn’t been said already. So thought I’d just share what Dale Murphy — his teammate on those bad-but-sort-of-lovable ’80s Braves teams — wrote on Thursday.
Take it away, Murph:
“Bob Horner and I were destined to be teammates somewhere. I signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Arizona State before I was drafted. Bob played at ASU and ended up in Atlanta my first full year in the major leagues — 1978.
“One way or another, it was bound to happen. From the minute Bob Horner joined the Braves, all us players could see he was good. I mean … really good. And that swing — short and quick and could turn around anybody’s fastball. And Bob knew the strike zone. He just did not swing at a bad pitch (like I had a tendency to do a little too often …). He was a unique talent and I was very lucky to be in the lineup with him most of my career. All of my numbers were better when he was hitting behind me. And that fact is not lost on me. I know my career was better because of him.
“It’s been a hard few weeks for the Braves Family losing Ted and Bobby — and now Bob. These 3 men all had such a profound impact on my career. I am forever grateful.
“Nancy and I will miss Bob and our hearts go out to Chris and Trent and Tyler, along with their entire family.
“The older we get, the more we cherish wonderful memories and this past month has brought a flood of them back to us. The gratitude we feel for them all has been overwhelming.
“Rest well, my friend and teammate.”
Well said. And the photos in that X post are pretty stellar, too.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Just feels good to be where you grew up, you know? Like, I grew up coming here, this is where I fell in love with baseball, so being able to play here is always a treat, being able to just step on these grounds is amazing.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the Win Column newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
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