Ozzie Albies will not start at second base for the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, instead serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth against the Milwaukee Brewers. The lineup change comes one day after Milwaukee secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Atlanta in Friday’s series opener.
Mauricio Dubón will take over at second base as the Braves look to even the three-game series. Atlanta enters Saturday atop the NL East, while Milwaukee owns the best record in baseball with an 80-49 mark and a .620 winning percentage entering its 130th game of the season. Saturday will also mark game No. 130 for the Braves, who sit at 75-54.
Atlanta currently holds a four-game advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. Meanwhile, Milwaukee leads the NL Central by six games over the Chicago Cubs. The Braves and Brewers have split their first four meetings this season, with Atlanta winning the opening two games in June before Milwaukee responded with consecutive victories, including Friday’s 2-1 triumph.
Ozzie Albies’ Glove Gets a Break
Albies heads into Saturday batting .251 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI and a .726 OPS through 128 games. The 20-homer milestone marks his first time reaching that total since 2023, with nearly all of his production coming while playing second base rather than serving as the designated hitter. Saturday will be only his second appearance at DH this season.
The Braves infielder has struggled at the plate recently, going 4-for-25 with one RBI over his last seven games. His batting average has fallen to .143 over his past 15 contests, a notable dip after his recent power surge helped him reach the 20-home-run mark.
Moving Albies to DH allows Atlanta to keep his bat in the lineup while eliminating the physical demands of playing second base for a full nine innings.
Friday’s series opener highlighted Atlanta’s offensive struggles. The Braves managed just eight hits and one run in their 2-1 loss at American Family Field. Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski held Atlanta scoreless through six innings to earn the victory over Chris Sale. William Contreras delivered a 4-for-4 performance with an RBI for the Brewers, while Michael Harris II produced Atlanta’s lone run with an eighth-inning single.
Dubón’s Move to Second Base Reshapes the Infield
With Albies moving into the designated-hitter role, Mauricio Dubón shifts from shortstop to second base, while Jim Jarvis takes over at shortstop. Ronald Acuña Jr. remains in right field and will bat second after serving as Atlanta’s leadoff hitter in Friday’s series opener.
The lineup change allows Atlanta to maintain its left-handed-heavy presence near the top of the order, with Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Michael Harris staying in place against Milwaukee right-hander Logan Henderson. At the same time, the Braves keep Albies’ switch-hitting bat in the lineup while using Dubón’s defensive versatility in the middle infield.
Milwaukee has consistently made opponents pay for mistakes throughout the season, so Atlanta appears to be banking on a well-rested Albies providing a stronger offensive presence from the DH spot.
The strategy from manager Walt Weiss is straightforward: give Albies’ legs a break, keep his bat active and rely on Dubón’s defensive flexibility to stabilize the middle infield against a Brewers team that has been extremely difficult to beat all season.
