Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss has been lauded for his aggressive approach this season, with it being a welcome change from recent seasons. A big piece of this has been a willingness to approach players based on performance and matchups, not salary or tenure, which had previously been deciding factors. If you're not hitting the salary or standing doesn't matter, Weiss hasn't been afraid to slide you down in the lineup or to the bench if it gives the Braves a better chance to win.
This is a stance that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is clearly going to test as the veteran is currently making $20 million and has managed only four hits in his first 38 at-bats. The offensive results have been undeniably ugly and left many questioning just how patient Weiss is willing to be with a high-dollar player who simply isn't living up to expectations.
It is an offensive performance that has been made worse with the absence of Drake Baldwin, putting Chadwick Tromp or Sandy Leon in the Atlanta lineup. Both players are incredibly offensively limited, putting two spots in Atlanta's current order that opposing pitchers can hunt down. This isn't something that could be said about the Braves' lineup early in the 2026 season.
Braves Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will Test the Aggressive Management Style of Walt Weiss
Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo both remain rostered and have provided far more offensive consistency with similar defensive results. If Weiss is going to stay with the strategy he has previously employed, Kim is going to be benched or platooned if the results don't drastically improve. The Braves simply have no other choice if they are going to continue to judge their lineup by performance and not salary.
This is where it will get interesting with Kim having a high level of investment from the front office, even if he isn't giving the team the best chance to win. Watching whether or not Weiss is willing to bench or platoon a player that highly-paid and not getting the job done is the first true test of the manager's style.
Fans have to hope that it doesn't come to this, with $15 million already being paid to Sean Murphy, who cannot stay healthy, and $22 million to Austin Riley, who has thus far been unable to offer any offensive consistency. A third highly paid player failing is a bad look for the front office and limits the ceiling of a team that appears to be the lone National League threat to a third straight Los Angeles Dodgers World Series run.
With all of this in mind, fans should pay special attention to Kim over the next week and see if Weiss is going to remain patient or stick to the strategy that has clearly benefited Atlanta and helped put the team in its current position.
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