Michael Harris II, Jurickson Profar Hopefully Providing Braves 2026 Preview

Despite injuries to right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and third baseman Austin Riley, the Atlanta Braves have experienced a surge in offensive production since the All-Star Break.

Catcher Drake Baldwin has continued to hit well and is the front runner for the National League Rookie of the Year award. But other hitters such as center fielder Michael Harris II and left fielder Jurickson Profar are finally living up to their preseason expectations.

It won't changed Atlanta's fortunes for the 2025 campaign. The best the Braves can probably hope for is a move into third place in the National League East.

But that doesn't mean what Harris and Profar are doing is irrelevant. The hope should be that the two outfielders can continue to surge and carry their strong finish into 2026.

Michael Harris Gaining Reputation as Second-Half Player

After nearly four months of being one of the worst hitters in baseball, Harris is experiencing a prolonged hot streak -- his first of the 2025 season.

Over the last 21 games, the center fielder is batting .395 with a .744 slugging percentage and 1.153 OPS. He's still not walking; he's earned just two free bases over the last three weeks. But Harris is getting on-base at a .409 clip thanks in large part to going 34-for-86 in his last 88 plate appearances.

Entering Thursday, Harris is on a six-game hitting streak, including five consecutive games with multiple hits. During that stretch, he is 11-for-24 (.458) with five extra-base hits, including three home runs, eight RBI and six runs.

Harris hit a grand slam to turn the tide Wednesday night versus the New York Mets.

For the season, Harris still only has an OPS of .669. But it's increased 130 points since July 10.

Behind the recent spike in production, Harris is now slashing .315/.350/.541 with 97 extra-base hits in 205 games after the All-Star Break in his career. That's opposed to a .243/.280/.383 slash line before the break.

If Harris is truly more of a second half player, then he's not likely to translate his August success to April 2026. But the key for him will be to hit closer to .250 with an OPS between .650 and .700 before the break next year.

That way, a second half surge in 2026 would pull him up to a .275 average and .750 OPS.

This season, Harris hit .210 with a .551 OPS in the first half.

Jurickson Profar Finding Groove With Braves

Profar experienced a poor first half to the 2025 campaign simply because he wasn't on the field. He missed half the year because of a PED suspension.

The veteran hit two home runs in his first two games back from the suspension. But after that, he hit low points of a .224 average and .617 OPS for the season.

However, Profar is having a strong start to August. He has batted .308 with a 1.112 OPS, going 12-for-39 with three home runs, in the past 11 games. His OPS for the season has shot up nearly 100 points.

On Saturday, Profar also did his best Harris impression, robbing a home run.

The hot streak could be a sign Profar has finally settled in since his suspension. He played just four games for the Braves before receiving his PED ban.

The Braves have several offseason questions to answer. But Harris is signed long-term, and Profar has two years remaining on the three-year contract he inked last offseason. Both are very likely going to be on the Atlanta roster in 2026.

It would be wonderful if the Braves could pair what each are doing right now with Acuña returning healthy in right field next season. That would finally give Atlanta a formidable outfield both at the plate and in the field.