How Ronald Acuña Jr. Sets Tone for Rest of Braves Starting Lineup

The Atlanta Braves have an interest in moving Acuña back up in the order, but a new season will mean waiting to see how the full lineup shakes out

The Braves will likely put their star player back at the top of the order | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Amidst a disappointing season, former Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker shook up the batting order throughout the season, but following his retirement, things may return to what Braves fans were formerly used to.

During the Winter Meetings, new Braves manager Walt Weiss hinted that former MVP and Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuña, Jr., may be returning to the lead-off spot he’s occupied for the majority of his career.

“It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order,” Weiss said. “I really like when a lineup turns over, and there’s teeth right away. If you’re a pitcher, you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as the lineup turns over.”

Acuña was removed from the lead-off spot in July as the Braves tried to shake things up. Jurickson Profar has experience as a lead-off hitter, allowing him to be tried elsewhere. He primarily batted third during this time. Acuna batted .310 with a .980 OPS in the lead-off spot and .263 with a .888 OPS in the third spot in 2025, so a return to the frontman position could be in order. 

There’s just one problem, though: He may not be the stolen base threat he once was. ACL injuries have a nasty habit of reaggravating themselves (or worse), so he’s been very cautious with the way he runs, diminishing his on-base production.

Ideally, a lead-off hitter is in scoring position quickly, so if Acuña continues to be sheepish on the basepaths, it’ll be more difficult for the team to get runs around with minimal hits. With that said, he appears to be on an encouraging pace in Venezuela this summer, as he’s stolen six bases in nine games, compared to the six he stole in 21 games in 2024.

Acuña’s been one of the best lead-off hitters in the game when healthy, so even if he’s not as strong on the basepaths, it could still shake out in both his benefit and that of the Braves.

The Braves struggled to find a consistent lead-off hitter in 2025, particularly at the start of the season when Acuña was still rehabbing his ACL and Profar was suspended. The team bounced between Alex Verdugo, Michael Harris II and even Ozzie Albies, but the lead-off spot struggled until Acuña and Profar returned.

Acuña took over the predominant lead-off spot from May 23 to Aug. 5, until Jurickson Profar took over the spot once he returned from his suspension. The two went back and forth until Profar ultimately ended the season with a 23-game stretch at the lead-off spot.

With Acuña potentially leading off the newly Walt Weiss-led Braves, the lineup could look quite different from what Braves fans saw in 2025, though a few things will likely stay the same. For one, Austin Riley, who’ll be coming off an abdominal injury in 2026, typically bats in the third spot, but he batted .316 for the month he was in the second spot.

Matt Olson typically batted towards the middle of the lineup, but he excelled at the end of the season when he was moved to the second spot in the order, batting .286 with an .854 OPS. He batted .262 with an .856 OPS from his typical middle of the lineup spot earlier in the season.

Despite these constants, things could still certainly shake up for this new-look Braves team, especially if Acuña’s at the lead-off spot. Jurickson Profar, who led off in 66 games for the Braves, has batted just about everywhere in the lineup over his 12-year career, so he’ll be able to fill any role Weiss is looking for.

Things also get interesting in the batting order with the Braves’ latest addition: Mike Yasterembski. The outfielder is a much better defensive outfielder than Jurickson Profar, so Profar may join the rotation at DH after the departure of Braves DH Marcell Ozuna, whose contract has not been picked up by the Braves at this time.

Weiss has stated that he’s looking to get NL Rookie of the Year catcher Drake Baldwin more involved, which will lead to Baldwin picking up the DH spot when he’s not catching, potentially in a rotation with Murphy and Profar.

The Braves’ veteran catcher, Sean Murphy, rotated with Baldwin at DH and catcher whenever Ozuna was out of the lineup, though he typically batted lower in the order. Baldwin’s batted everywhere from the second spot to the sixth, while Murphy has batted everywhere from eighth to fourth in the order.

Simply put, new Braves manager Walt Weiss has his work cut out for him, especially if he’s looking to return Acuña to the lead-off spot. He may stick with what Snitker has found to work, or he may shake things up entirely and give the Braves’ batting order an entirely new look in 2026.