Michael Harris II burst onto the scene as the National League Rookie of the Year in 2022. He was an immediate fan favorite — the hometown kid living out his dream in an Atlanta Braves uniform, providing value across the board as a legitimate five-tool star.
Unfortunately, Harris' numbers have been on a steady decline since those halcyon days as a rookie. It has reached rather grave territory in 2025, with Harris now 3-for-30 over his last eight games. The 24-year-old has a .223 average and .585 OPS on the season, seventh-worst among qualified MLB hitters.
After showing some improvement, getting the ball in the air more and homering 3 times in 6 games, #Braves' Michael Harris II is slumping again, going 3-for-30 w/ 1 extra-base hit in past 8 games to sink his average to .223 and OPS to .585, 7th-lowest OPS among all MLB qualifiers.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 22, 2025
Harris felt like a long-term staple only a couple years ago. Now, it's unclear if Harris can even stick on the big-league roster. He's still young, so it's too early for outright panic, but the Braves are desperate. Sunday's loss to Miami dropped Atlanta to 35-41 on the season, a full 11.0 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.
With injuries stacking up on the pitching staff and the lineup broadly underperforming, the Braves need to consider drastic measures to improve the on-field results. Before it's too late. That could mean taking a page out of the New York Mets' book with Harris.
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Braves need to consider giving Michael Harris the Francisco Álvarez treatment
The Mets recently demoted 23-year-old catcher Francisco Álvarez to Triple-A to "get reps" to fix his struggles, as manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. He was replaced by 28-year-old rookie Hayden Senger, who will serve as the backup to Luis Torrens in the meantime.
Álvarez, who hit 25 home runs as a rookie in 23, was working on a new swing in spring training, but he got hurt and began the campaign on the IL. Effectively splitting starts with Torrens in recent weeks, Álvarez simply was not getting the long leash he needed to work through his kinks and establish a rhyhtm.
The Mets clearly remain confident in Álvarez' long-term outlook, so this is just a short-term measure to ensure that this slump does not stick. Perhaps Atlanta should consider a similar plan with Harris, sending him to Gwinnett, where he can face a lower level of competition under he recaptures confidence in his swing.
Outfield has been a point of weakness for Atlanta all season, but with Ronald Acuña back in the lineup and Jurickson Profar's return coming down the pipeline, the window of opportunity for a Harris demotion is on the horizon. With Alex Verdugo (.609 OPS) and Eli White (.678 OPS) both outperforming Harris on balance this season, the Braves have enough bodies to let Harris take a few weeks in the minors.
While it may sound dramatic or reactionary to put a player with as much early-career success as Harris back in Gwinnett, sometimes a change in routine is all it takes to get a player's swing back on track. Harris needs to shake things up. This is how the Braves can do it — both for their own immediate benefit, and for Harris' forward-looking development arc.