The Atlanta Braves did not do very much this past offseason, almost nothing in fact. While general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent most of the winter sitting on the sidelines, he did make one splashy signing to get Braves Country fired up. He brought in former San Diego Padres standout Jurickson Profar on a multi-year deal to join their outfield. Profar projects to be Atlanta's starter in left field.
Even more important, he will be tasked with handling leadoff duties in the Braves' batting order until right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from his season-ending injury. This may only be for a month and change, but this is Acuña's second torn ACL in the last four years. When he is healthy, he is arguably the most talented player in baseball. When he is not, then it certainly limits the Braves' overall lineup.
The good news is Atlanta seems to have a solid plan for how to handle this. Profar will be playing left field, but putting most of his attention on doing well at the plate. This will allow the athletic, but streaky hitter that is Jarred Kelenic to play great defense in right field before he is eventually relegated to a platoon role after Acuña's return. Michael Harris II has to step up in centerfield as well.
In his first at-bat at the top of the Braves' lineup, Profar delivered with a first pitch double for Atlanta.
Jurickson Profar giving the fans what they want - a first pitch double in his spring training debut pic.twitter.com/01cnmGzPwA
— Gaurav (@gvedak) February 26, 2025
If Profar can continue to set the table like this, then the Braves offense will not be skipping a beat.
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Jurickson Profar looks right at home hitting leadoff for the Atlanta Braves
While Profar will move down the batting order whenever Acuña returns, keep in mind how it went for the Braves when he was working his way back from a season-ending injury in 2022. Acuña's 2021 campaign ended right before the All-Star break, whereas his 2024 season ended during Memorial Day Weekend. Thus, he will be closer to returning from his injury than he did this time three years ago.
However, he is also three years older. Atlanta gradually worked his way back into the lineup by occasionally having him serve as the designated hitter, as well as having a defensive replacement for him late in games to save his legs. This is why Kelenic is a valuable piece for this team for this season. It just means that Harris and Profar are even more valuable than him. They have to be on their games.
Overall, the Profar signing was a breath of fresh air for Braves Country. It was a long offseason where so many former Braves stars left for other teams. We sat back and watched Anthopoulos get lapped by other teams. Fortunately, I think he made an incredible decision to bring Profar into the fold. It not only helps the Braves now and in the future, but makes a contender like the Padres that much weaker.
This is only spring training, but Profar seems to fit nicely into exactly what the Braves need this year.