Atlanta Braves’ 2026 outfield begins with a healthy Ronald Acuña Jr.

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Braves spring training is well underway. And that means the regular season is fast approaching.

Here’s how the Braves’ starting outfield is slated to align entering the season:

Left field

The Braves return Jurickson Profar, their marquee addition last offseason who had an up-and-down debut season with the club. Profar was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a banned substance. He then had a red-hot stretch when he returned as the leadoff man (1.026), giving hope this contract will age better than it appeared after the suspension.

Profar cooled off in September (.625 OPS), but he showed he could be a valuable lineup piece. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be a leadoff hitter again. Also, he likely will spend a lot of time as a designated hitter earlier in this season, with catcher Sean Murphy sidelined.

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Newcomer Mike Yastrzemski could start against right-handed pitchers. He’ll have a prominent role, and his addition gives the Braves additional lineup optionality. Yastrzemski had a 2.8 bWAR last season, the second best of his career, and parlayed that into a healthy free-agent commitment with the Braves. He achieved most of his success against righties: Yastrzemski had a .256 average with a .809 OPS in 454 plate appearances against right-handers while hitting just .138 with a .427 OPS against southpaws (104 plate appearances)

Center field

There might not be a bigger “swing” player than Michael Harris II. There are some players who’d tell you he’s the best athlete on the team. The upside is clear — but so is the downside, and that was the story of Harris’ first half a year ago when he had a dreadful .551 OPS. He was far more consistent after the All-Star break (.845 OPS), legitimately looking like one of the game’s better players for a long stretch, but he needs to sustain better play. A notoriously slow starter, Harris needs to buck that trend in 2026. He has a career .662 OPS in the first half; it jumps to .859 after the All-Star break. Harris’ defense, meanwhile, is consistently outstanding. But he’ll need to become a more reliable hitter to fulfill his potential.

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Right field

Ronald Acuña Jr. enters this season fully healthy. He didn’t debut until May last year as he worked his way back from a second ACL tear. But he’s full-go now, even acknowledging such to reporters while taking batting practice Wednesday (“I’m healthy,” he exclaimed after his exhibition). Acuña, who joined the 40-40 club by launching 40 homers and stealing 40 bases during his 2023 MVP season, arrived to camp hoping to replicate those achievements. That’s his standard, but he needs to remain on the field.

Will he return to the leadoff spot? Manager Walt Weiss hinted at such during the winter meetings in December, but that’s something the team will sort out over the next month.

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