The Atlanta Braves haven’t had much to sing about this season, despite entering the year as World Series contenders.
Inconsistency and underperformance have plagued the roster, and one of the most glaring early-season disappointments was from their young center fielder, Michael Harris II.
The 24-year-old, now in his fourth MLB season, is considered one of Atlanta’s cornerstone players. But in the first half, he looked anything but.
Harris was dropped to the bottom of the order, and the numbers told the story — in 348 plate appearances, he slashed just .210/.235/.317 with 14 extra-base hits (six home runs), 43 RBIs, and a 21% strikeout rate.
Things have flipped in the second half. In Thursday night’s game against the New York Mets, Harris batted fifth and went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Over his last 128 plate appearances, he’s slashing an impressive .355/.370/.645 with a 1.015 OPS, 19 extra-base hits (seven homers), 17 RBIs, and a reduced strikeout rate of 16.4%.
MLB analyst Ben Verlander praised Harris’ resurgence, pointing to a major adjustment in his batting stance with a side-by-side comparison.
“I’m a BIG Michael Harris II fan,” Verlander wrote. “To see the turnaround he has had this season is awesome. Baseball can be a LONELY game. When you are lost you are really lost. When you find it, it can be the best feeling in the world. MHII has gone through it this year but he’s BACK baby.”
I’m a BIG Michael Harris II fan
To see the turnaround he has had this season is awesome.
Baseball can be a LONELY game. When you are lost you are really lost. When you find it, it can be the best feeling in the world.
MHII has gone through it this year but he’s BACK baby.… pic.twitter.com/1Oyxdl0ZJP
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) August 15, 2025
The difference is clear — Harris has returned to a more traditional, cocked-back bat position instead of the upright stance he used earlier this year, along with bringing his right leg back more. It closely resembles the stance from his breakout rookie campaign.
“I felt good right before the break in St. Louis,” Harris told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “Then, I knew during the break I just had to continue to work on what I was feeling and trying to better what I was trying to do. So, coming out of the break, I made sure I was still working on what I wanted to work on. Now, it’s giving me results in the game.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker has taken notice.
“He’s made some adjustments,” Snitker said. “I mean, I think he learned that this is a game of adjustments. And he did, with credit to him.”
Harris is still young and relatively early in his MLB career, having played just 481 games and logging under 2,000 plate appearances. While 2025 hasn’t gone the Braves’ way, his turnaround is a reminder that their center field future remains bright.
Harris has figured it out.
