Michael Harris II leads off as Braves shake up lineup against Nationals

Money Mike will be the first one taking swings for the Braves tonight

We kind of expected that the Atlanta Braves would start trying different things in the immediate aftermath of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending knee injury and we’re starting to see that bear itself out. The Braves will have a bit of a different look for the second day in a row, so let’s go ahead and check it out — along with what the Nationals have in store, as well.

Here’s Atlanta’s lineup:

So there it is: Michael Harris II is now getting a turn at the top of the batting order for the Braves. This’ll be the second time this season that Harris has gotten an opportunity to lead off for Atlanta, as he previously got a shot at it back on May 15 against the Cubs when Acuña was given the night off. Harris had led off only three previous times before this season but it’s looking somewhat likely that he’s going to be leading off a lot more going forward if he can produce out of that spot.

Meanwhile, Ozzie Albies has moved down to fifth, Sean Murphy is down to sixth, Adam Duvall is down to eighth, Orlando Arcia is down to ninth and Jarred Kelenic is up to seventh. The slight shuffle is likely due to the fact that Jake Irvin is a left-hander but at the same time, Acuña’s absence from the lineup has essentially broken up the Duvall/Kelenic platoon and thrust both of them into everyday roles with the team at the moment. The Braves are going to be constantly looking for a lineup that works but it’s definitely nice to have guys like Murphy and Riley back in there to make things a bit easier in terms of lineup construction.

Here’s how Washington is looking:

There are a handful of new faces in Washington’s lineup as they adjust to a lefty in Max Fried. Joey Meneses gets the start at first base, Nick Senzel moves up to fourth in the order, Keibert Ruiz is DH-ing instead of catching, and that spot is going to Riley Adams who is batting eighth. Ildemaro Vargas is at second base and batting seventh and Jesse Winker is out in left after serving as the DH yesterday.

Tonight’s game starts at 7:20 P.M. E.T. and can be seen on Bally Sports South.