Braves first Acuña-less lineup includes major change, and it's not what fans expect

If there's one thing that the Atlanta Braves are known for, it's running out the exact same lineup when given the chance. Not only do they rarely deploy their bench, but they rarely even change the order of the lineup.

That was obviously going to change with Ronald Acuña Jr. suffering his season-ending injury. The Braves were not going to insert Adam Duvall in the leadoff spot every day. Because of that, Braves fans were wondering what Brian Snitker had up his sleeve when it came to a new lineup.

It's safe to say that Braves fans were in for a bit of a surprise with Atlanta's first Acuña-less lineup since the injury.

Braves debut new-look lineup without Ronald Acuña Jr. and with one major change

Here's what the Braves lineup looks like for their series opener against the Washington Nationals.

The Braves got good news with both Sean Murphy and Austin Riley returning from their injuries. Murphy had been sidelined since Opening Day with an oblique injury while Riley has missed a couple of weeks due to a side injury of his own. Getting them back immediately after Acuña goes down should give Atlanta a much-needed morale boost at the very least.

Seeing Riley in particular make his return is great news, but where he's placed in the lineup is a bit of a surprise. The 27-year-old is hitting second for just the second time in his six-year career. Riley had hit third in every game he appeared in this season and had hit either third or fourth in 350 of his last 355 games spanning back to the start of the 2022 campaign.

Ozzie Albies hit second in every game he appeared in this season, but he takes Acuña's spot at the top of the order. Perhaps the reasoning for that is because Atlanta is slated to face rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker of the Nationals. Albies has always been much better against lefties than righties.

When the Braves face a right-hander, it'll be interesting to see if the Braves turn to a guy like Michael Harris II at the top of the order and hit Albies and Riley second and third like they're used to. For now, Braves fans hope Riley comes back from his injury on fire in a new spot in the lineup.