In a season already circling the drain by mid-April, Atlanta Braves fans have officially reached the “try anything” stage. That includes handing the leadoff duties to Alex Verdugo—a guy who wasn’t even on the roster to start the season and now finds himself expected to be Braves Country’s version of Luke Skywalker.
Is this rock bottom? Maybe. But given how the last few weeks have gone, there’s still a decent chance they haven’t even hit that yet.
🚨 Welcome to the 2025 Atlanta Braves: A Cautionary Tale
Three weeks into the season, and the Braves are a bleak 5-13. Not “we’re slumping, give it time” bad. More like “the ship is on fire and we’re bailing water with a colander” bad. Every game feels like déjà vu, with cold bats, shaky pitching, and a general sense of dread from first pitch to final out.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is still recovering from yet another ACL tear—his second in four years. That alone would be a massive blow. But the rest of the outfield? Well, it’s either suspended, slumping, or just straight-up missing in action.
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Jurickson Profar got popped for PEDs before even having a chance to make an impact.
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Michael Harris II, a former Rookie of the Year and fan favorite, now looks utterly lost at the plate.
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Jarred Kelenic, the once-promising outfield pickup, can’t buy a hit and often looks like he forgot how to hola
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bat.
Now, with their options exhausted, the Braves are turning to Verdugo to lead off. Not because he’s lighting the world on fire—he’s not—but because he’s, well, not Harris. And these days, that’s good enough.
🧢 Verdugo: The Leadoff Hero We Didn’t Ask For
“Get ready to learn how to hit leadoff.” Whether Snitker actually said those words to Verdugo or not doesn’t matter. The point stands: the Braves have no other choice. Harris has looked like a shell of himself, chasing bad pitches and producing next to nothing at the plate. A demotion to the bottom of the order was overdue.
Verdugo, for his part, has never been a traditional leadoff guy. But hey, when the rest of your team is barely keeping its head above water, a decent OBP and a few timely singles might be enough to qualify as a spark.
Is it ideal? Of course not. But nothing about this season has been ideal.
⚾ Braves Lineup vs. Twins – A Real “Who’s Who” of Underperformance
With the Minnesota Twins coming to town for a battle of the basement dwellers, here’s how the Braves are lining up Friday night:
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LF: Alex Verdugo
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3B: Austin Riley
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DH: Marcell Ozuna
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1B: Matt Olson
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2B: Ozzie Albies
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C: Sean Murphy
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CF: Michael Harris II
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SS: Nick Allen
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RF: Jarred Kelenic
SP: RHP Bryce Elder
This is not a lineup that inspires confidence. It’s a lineup that inspires drinking. Riley, Olson, and Albies are supposed to be the offensive backbone—but none of them are currently playing to their potential. Ozuna is streaky as ever. And Murphy? Well, he’s solid behind the plate, but asking him to carry the offense too is a bit much.
The bottom of the order—Harris, Allen, and Kelenic—is just… yikes. That trio is a combined black hole at the moment.
🚨 Everything That Can Go Wrong… Has
The Braves recently returned home after a road trip to Canada that can only be described as catastrophic. Losing games? Check. Losing players? Check. Losing dignity? Oh, definitely.
Somehow, they were even allowed back into the country after making a mess of things north of the border. One has to assume customs agents took pity on them and figured the team had suffered enough.
Between injuries, suspensions, cold bats, and an outfield that’s hanging on by threads, the 2025 Braves have turned Murphy’s Law into a mission statement: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
🟥 “Friday Night Reds!” — A Red Flag in Disguise?
To add a splash of irony to an already bleak situation, the Braves’ social media team posted a hyped-up “Friday Night Reds!” tweet to celebrate the team’s alternate jerseys. Red uniforms, red flags—it’s all on theme, really.
Because when you’re 5-13, no amount of color-coordinated fanfare can hide the smell of a team that’s teetering on the edge.
🎬 Final Thoughts: The Force Is Not Strong With This One
This team needs more than just Verdugo to step up—it needs a miracle. Or a Jedi. Or maybe just competent at-bats and a week without disaster.
For now, Braves fans will take anything that resembles a spark. If Verdugo can reach base a couple times a night, turn over the lineup, and avoid looking completely overmatched, it might be enough to keep the torch lit for a little longer.
He’s not Joc Pederson. He’s not Acuña. But he’s here, he’s upright, and he’s trying. And right now, that’s about all Braves Country can ask for.
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