Michael Harris II returns to the lineup but Whit Merrifield still leads off for Braves against Twins

Money Mike made it back onto the field last night in spectacular fashion and now he’s back in the lineup again

The lineups for tonight’s middle game between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins are out. We’ve got further good news on the injury front, though I’d have to imagine that if you watched last night’s game then it was obvious that you-know-who is okay and ready to go. However, his position in the lineup is still up in the air, so let’s talk about that now.

Here’s the lineup for the Braves:

Well, well, well: Whit Merrifield remains at the top of the order and this is despite the fact that Michael Harris II is back in the lineup. With that being said, this makes all the sense in the world. Merrifield had a fantastic night at the plate last night and Brian Snitker is someone who doesn’t like messing with a good thing so that very likely explains why Merrifield is still leading off. Meanwhile, Harris is down to sixth in the lineup but I don’t think anybody’s going to complain about his placement in the lineup. If anything, we’re probably all grateful that he’s back starting again and didn’t miss any games after that scary moment on Sunday.

Here’s Minnesota’s lineup for tonight:

Trevor Larnach is back in the lineup and playing left field after sitting against the left-hander for last night’s game. Larnach is a 120 wRC+ hitter so the Twins are going to be pretty happy to have him back in the lineup. Meanwhile, Max Kepler is returning to the lineup as well and he’ll be out there in right field. Ryan Jeffers also got the call and he’ll be playing catcher in place of Christian Vázquez for tonight’s contest. Finally, Edouard Julien is getting the nod at second base in place of Kyle Farmer.

Tonight’s game has a scheduled start of 7:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports South and listened to on 680 The Fan/93.7 and the Braves Radio Network across the South.