For Atlanta Braves fans and pundits to truly believe Michael Harris II has put his struggles in the rearview, the season's final month must be a continuation. Harris was one of the league's worst hitters through the first months of the 2025 MLB campaign, even getting benched for Eli White earlier in the year. Things were dark enough that it seemed a demotion was the obvious decision for the struggling center fielder.
However, Harris caught fire after the All-Star break and went from one of the league's best hitters to the Braves' best option. This isn't intended as disrespect to Atlanta's more powerful options, but accurate of just how great the talented defender was down the stretch. Still, there are reasons for concern with just how rough the first months of the season were. If these changes are going to endure, September needs to be an example of this.
Harris cannot regress to the player he was in the first weeks of the year, and Braves fans continue to overlook early concerns. The outfielder has upped his average to .252 over the last weeks of the season after spending more than half the year struggling to stay above the Mendoza line.
Braves Outfielder Michael Harris Needs a Strong Finish to End Concerns
A strong September is about continuing to prove that the needed adjustments have been made and the concerns aren't long-term. The Braves didn't just watch Harris have a bad handful of games, but dealt with weeks of struggles. It is going to take this same consistency to believe a corner has been turned and that the franchise still has its center fielder of the future in place.
Something that a strong final month can lock into place, even with the first half numbers that Harris put together. It isn't just the elite defender who could use a strong finish to the year, with both Sean Murphy and Jurickson Profar needing a strong finish among Atlanta's veterans. It has been a season to forget for several key Braves pieces, including the majority of the outfield.
For Harris, it has been a career-saving run that gives the franchise a sense of belief that its long-term outfield is still in place. With that said, it is easy to feel far more confident if September looks exactly as the past two months have for Atlanta's best defender.