Walt Weiss says Braves’ shortstop situation is ‘a day-to-day thing’

Mateo got his third start in as many games Friday and second straight start at shortstop. He went 1-for-4, plated a run with a fielder’s choice and another with a single. He scored twice and stole a base. On defense, he made a highlight-reel play by fielding a ball running to his right and throwing on the run to nab Reds speedy shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

Mateo had gotten just two at-bats in a nine-day span before starting at designated hitter Tuesday in Boston. He’s 5-for-12 with a double, three RBIs, three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base over the last three games. And he has only struck out once.

“I’ve been through this already with the team (the Orioles) I was (with) before,” Mateo said. “My mentality is, like, ‘I’m ready.’ Be ready anytime. You don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. Just be ready for the moment, and thankful for the opportunity.”

Mateo will not necessarily be the team’s full-time shortstop moving forward, Weiss indicated, despite Kim’s brutal start to 2026.

Kim is just 4-for-42 and has struck out 13 times in 12 games. The Braves gave Kim $20 million to be their everyday shortstop this season, but an offseason finger injury delayed his start to the year and now has clearly hindered his ability to perform at a high level this past month.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

“I mean, it’s the bottom line in this league, right? At the end of the day, it’s a meritocracy here,” Weiss said of Kim being judged on his play. “But the thing is, when Kim’s right, he makes us better, he makes us a better team. We want that to happen and we’re doing everything we can to try to help that process along. It’s just that the speed of this game is just very, very different from a rehab assignment, especially for guys that haven’t had spring training. This carousel is going really fast, and you (have) got to try to jump on in the middle of a season, it’s difficult.

“But Kim is going to be fine. He’s going to help us win a lot of games, he’s a really good player, and just trying to help that process along.”

Kim did not play Wednesday or Thursday in Boston, nor Friday in Cincinnati. Weiss said the 30-year-old Korean had a “good work day” on Thursday and the team, “will allow him to do that for another day or two” and “let him work on some things.”

Mateo, on the other hand, is now hitting .319 over the 35 games he has played this season. His seven stolen bases are second only to Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 10, and he has scored a run in 57% of the games he has played.

Defensively, Mateo’s right arm can be an equalizer with his ability to rocket the ball to first base.

“Look, he’s a talented player. Very tooled up,” Weiss said. “I’ve always liked him from afar and he’s done a nice job for us. The thing I’m most impressed with is he has kept himself ready mentally, and his attitude has been great. Because there’s been some dry spells for him where he hadn’t played. But he’s always staying ready mentally, physically, and it pays off. He gets in the lineup and helps us win some games. So tip my cap to ‘Georgie’ for the way he has stayed ready.”

If there is a silver lining to this merry-go-round of shortstops it’s that between Kim, Mateo and Dubón the Braves aren’t lacking for solid options. Dubón, who was off Friday as well, has played in 54 of the team’s 58 games and was the primary shortstop before Kim returned from his rehab assignment. Dubón has also played third base, left field and center field and is one of the Braves’ best two-out hitters.

It should also be noted that Mateo has played the outfield during the course of his career as well. Weiss has the luxury of mixing and matching his lineups to keep guys fresh, or rest them if he senses fatigue.

“Just trying to juggle these things around and move the parts around to keep everyone involved because everybody’s helped us win games. And so I want to keep everybody a part of this. It’ll be a lot of moving the pieces around,” Weiss said. “I think the most important thing is just communicating with these guys and just tell ‘em what you’re thinking. I try to let ‘em know when they’re playing, when they’re not playing, ahead of time. That always helps, just to keep those lines of communication open. I think players always respect that, even if they don’t agree with it.”

The Braves are banking on seeing a version of Kim that the Padres saw in 2022 and 2023 when Kim had a WAR of 5 and 5.4, respectively. Kim drove in 119 runs and hit 28 homers combined over those two seasons.

Kim then signed a two-year deal with the Rays in 2025, a free-agent contract that at the time was one of the largest in Rays franchise history. But he didn’t debut with the team until July 4 because of offseason shoulder surgery, then also struggled through injuries to his calf and back during his Rays tenure which ended in September when the Braves claimed Kim off the waiver wire.

Since the end of the ’23 season, a season in which Kim won a Gold Glove, he has played in just 181 games. But the Braves aren’t giving up on Kim. And they really can’t afford to given the price tag.

“It is a fine line, because you’re trying to get ‘em caught up to the speed of the game. It’s hard to do that if you’re not playing right,” Weiss said. “But I do think from a mental standpoint, when you’re really grinding and trying to find it, sometimes it helps to take a step back mentally so you don’t have the pressure of having to perform every night. At the same time, you can work on some things without that pressure to perform.

“I (have) got to make those decisions. I (have) got to pick spots and try to help him along as best I can. The hitting guys are working really hard with him. He’s got a tremendous attitude, great team player. He’s going to get there, but we’re going to try to do the best we can to get him there quickly as possible.”