Riley had an abdominal injury during the July 11 game against the Cardinals, and he won’t be able to return from the disabled list until Tuesday. For the first time in his career, Acu dropped from his usual leadoff position into the 3 hole after Riley was sidelined on July 12.
The day before he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in the series finale, he went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
However, before Ian Hamilton hit an RBI double in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Yankees, Acu saw Matt Olson and Jurickson Profar tee off on him.
Brian Snitker, the manager of the Braves, said of Acu, a hitting third baseman, “I kind of like him there.” That top three right there appeals to me. That’s pretty good, in my opinion. To me, I always imagined (Acu a) to be that person. We shall see. Riley won’t care where he hits, in my opinion.
For most of his career, Acu has been hitting lead off. He has batted fifth once, sixth eleven times, seventh six times, eighth once, second 26 times, and in the cleanup spot 37 times. Additionally, Acu has hit in the 9 hole eight times.
Olson, who has typically finished second to Acu a, claimed that Profar’s skill is the main reason the Braves were able to shift Acu a to third. Since returning to the active roster, the left fielder, who is currently recovering from an 80-game suspension, is hitting.288.
He has scored five runs and drawn two walks while hitting.270 in the leadoff position. Acu’s on-base percentage when hitting first is.442, whereas his is.308.
Olson remarked of Profar at the top of the order, “You have to have a lot of faith in somebody to get on base similarly as Acu a.” He has been getting on base and having fantastic at-bats. Since (Acu a) can be placed anywhere in the lineup, I believe it’s more of a reference to what Profar has been doing.
Olson has gone 3-for-12 with four RBIs, two walks, and four strikeouts since Acu moved to third. The All-Star claimed that he hasn’t observed any change in the way he has being pitched, but it’s possible that he has simply been too preoccupied to notice any shift in the opposition’s strategy.
I always have a dangerous player in the 3 hole behind me if I’m hitting second. However, Olson noted, “Acu is pretty damn dangerous.” Perhaps I’ve been hitting a little bit more without even noticing.
