Two Braves Players Show Encouraging Signs in Lost Season

It is hard to find many positives in the Atlanta Braves 2025 season, but Michael Harris and Hurston Waldrep show encouraging signs for 2026.

The 2025 season for the Atlanta Braves has been one of the most shocking and disappointing across MLB. They came in with championship expectations after an injury-riddled 2024 but are now on the verge of missing the postseason altogether. However, two players emerged after the All-Star break to give the franchise hope for a bounce-back 2026 campaign: OF Michael Harris II and SP Hurston Waldrep.

Braves Young Star Makes Key Adjustment

Across most of his young career, Harris has performed better in the second half of seasons than the first half. He has taken this to a whole other level in 2025.

In 93 games before the All-Star break, Harris posted a .210 BA, six home runs, .317 SLG, and a .551 OPS. His OPS ranked dead last in the league among qualified batters, and a .234 OBP was good for 155th. Harris struggled to make consistent contact and often chased pitches outside the zone, leading to a shocking two-month stretch without a single walk. His walk rate was down to 2.7% compared to 4.9% in 2024. It seemed like the 24-year-old centerfielder was stuck in the mud.

Then, after the All-Star festivities in Atlanta, Harris flipped the switch in a big way. He adjusted his batting stance, returning closer to his stance as a rookie. Instead of holding his hands in front of him, he places them above his shoulders and lets the bat sit behind his head. 

Looks like Michael Harris II is making an effort to correct his struggles by changing his batting stance. It looks just like early in his rookie year

1st Picture: Tonight
2nd Picture: 2 Weeks ago
3rd Picture: Michael’s first career hit in 2022 pic.twitter.com/fZzNcsws1e

— Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) July 19, 2025

Harris Immediately Sees Results

From July 14 to August 21, Harris ranked second in average (.382), 11th in OBP (.396), third in SLG (.718), and fifth in OPS (1.113). Since the break, Harris has 11 homers after just six in the first half. His power stroke and walk rate rose, while his strikeout rate decreased. No one in MLB history recorded a bigger jump in OPS comparing second-half numbers to full-season results- 1.114 vs .705. As a result, Braves Manager Brian Snitker moved the Georgia native to the clean-up spot after spending most of the campaign batting seventh or eighth.

Before the break, Atlanta Hitting Coach Tim Hyers was confident Harris could find his groove again.

“I think if he can hold his posture, clean up a few things mechanically and then get back to getting balls in the strike zone, I think this thing can turn around in a heartbeat,” Hyers said.

Harris legitimately went from, perhaps, the worst hitter in baseball to the top ten in no time at all. While he is unlikely to put up numbers on this level for 162 games, this play is certainly closer to what the Braves and their fans envisioned for the star centerfielder.

Waldrep Takes Advantage of His Opportunity

When the Braves and the Cincinnati Reds battled at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 2, Waldrep was not even with the big league club. Rain suspended the game for the next day, and Atlanta called up Waldrep as an extra man. After a long trip from Triple-A Gwinnett, he arrived the next morning, eager to get on the mound. He took advantage of the opportunity, throwing 5.2 innings of one-run ball for his first major league win. Since that moment, Waldrep has been a top pitcher in the show.

He is 4-0 (five starts and one relief appearance) with a 1.01 ERA on the campaign, the only pitcher to have an ERA around one in the last 30 days. The 23-year-old has not given up more than one run in any outing, and Atlanta won all six of Waldrep’s appearances. He firmly placed himself in August Pitcher of the Month conversations, but SP Freddy Peralta won the award.

Hurston Waldrep of the @Braves is the second MLB rookie in the modern era to earn the win in each of his first 4 appearances of a season while allowing 1 run or fewer in each.

The other was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. pic.twitter.com/sqb8bfzTIf

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 21, 2025

“It’s good being able to come to the office every day and work and see everything pay off…But you can’t sit here and reflect for too long,” Waldrep said of his string of great performances.

Sean Murphy Helps Out Braves Battery Mate

Waldrep worked hard to get to this point. He started two games last season but struggled mightily, posting a 16.71 ERA and giving up three homers. He also floundered early in Triple-A this season with a 4.42 ERA, 8.3 H/9, and 4.9 BB/9. However, when Braves catcher Sean Murphy was rehabbing with the Gwinnett Stripers, he suggested that Waldrep add a sinker to his repertoire. Waldrep’s splitter is his signature pitch, and a sinker/cutter combo makes it even deadlier. Hitters have just a split second to differentiate between the faster sinker-cutter and the slower breaking splitter.

Hurston Waldrep's splitter is going to be a PROBLEM for big league hitters! pic.twitter.com/o7LJ7bd0Ee

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 16, 2025

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” catcher Sean Murphy said. “He’s throwing the ball so well. He’s pitching with a ton of confidence. When he does this, he kind of proves himself. So all credit goes to Hurston. He’s the man.”

Great major league pitchers put their teams in winning positions, even on nights without their A+ stuff. The righty did just that against the Miami Marlins on August 26. He battled, allowing eight hits and escaping jams with just one run allowed. These starts often leave lasting impressions on managers, and Waldrep certainly put himself in a strong position to make the Braves Opening Day rotation next season.