Breaking: Braves Have Found A Perfect Replacement For Ronald Acuña Jr. as leadoff batter

Jarred Kelenic has been hitting at the top of the Atlanta Braves’ batting order.

Kelenic, who replaced injured star Ronald Acuña Jr. at leadoff, homered and drove in two runs in a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Kelenic is hitting .324 with three home runs and six RBIs in eight games since taking over the leadoff spot.

“Guys see it as an opportunity, and some of them take advantage of it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Kelenic is hitting.270 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs this season. He started 22 games on the No. 9 hole, with 15 hitting eighth and nine hitting seventh.

“I just try to individualize each and every at-bat and let the let the game kind of tell me what I’m trying to do,” Kelenic told ESPN.

The Mets selected the outfielder sixth overall in the 2018 amateur draft during his debut season with the Braves at the age of 24. He was traded to Seattle in December as part of a combination with closer Edwin Díaz and second baseman Robinson Canó from New York.

Kelenic batted.141 as a rookie with the Mariners in 2021,.141 the next year, and.253 last season with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. He became so furious during a midseason slump that he kicked a water cooler and shattered a bone in his left foot, forcing him to miss time from July 19 to September 11. He was traded to the Braves in December after hitting.204 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs in 252 games with Seattle.

Batting against right-handed pitchers has taken up the majority of his time.275 against them in 160 at-bats, compared to.250 versus lefties in 36 at-bats. He gave the Braves the lead in the third inning with a home run off Nestor Cortes, followed by a sacrifice fly in the fifth for two runs.

That was plenty assistance for Max Fried, who allowed one run in six innings and improved to 4-1 in his last six starts.

“Playing behind him makes it pretty easy because you don’t have to do much,” Kelenic told me. “Sometimes, when I’m sitting out there, I wonder what I would do if I had to confront him. He’d come at you from all sides of the plate, and his balls moved so much.”

Kelenic began as the Braves’ platoon left fielder, but moved to center after Michael Harris II hurt his left hamstring on June 13. His change in hitting order and defensive alignment coincided with the Braves’ comeback, as they won eight of ten after a five-game losing run.

Atlanta won two of three games from the Yankees after sweeping Tampa Bay and Detroit.

“It’s a big series,” Snitker stated. “We’re playing to our strengths. Quite honestly, I don’t believe we’re firing on all cylinders.”