Braves skipper Walt Weiss is handling ‘juggling act’ with lineups

Braves manager Walt Weiss recently said he’d have a hard time keeping infielder Jorge Mateo out of the lineup in back-to-back games. It’s easy to see why.

Mateo’s batting average (.301) is tied for fourth-best on the team. He’s committed one error in 75 chances at shortstop. Mateo’s seven stolen bases (eight attempts) are second-most on the team, even though he’s played in just 39 of 63 games with 23 starts.

Mateo has done everything he can to make a strong case to have a regular role. Yet Weiss had Mateo on the bench to begin the past two games.

Ha-Seong Kim started at shortstop on Wednesday against the Blue Jays and Mauricio Dubón was there for Thursday’s series finale. Mateo got one pinch-hit appearance in those games.

It turns out that, as difficult as it may be for Weiss to keep Mateo on the bench for more than one game, there are times when it’s unavoidable.

“It’s a juggling act that I’ve got to go through,” Weiss said before Thursday’s game. “I had to make a decision. Is Dubón not going to play? He would have been the odd man out today. He’s been swinging the bat well for us and getting big hits for us.

“So, I felt like I needed to find (Dubón) a spot in our lineup and really the only way to do it was at shortstop tonight. It has nothing to do with Mateo. Obviously, Kim’s going to continue to get opportunities and Mateo will, too.”

Weiss has handled the juggling well. The Braves (42-21) are the top team in baseball while rotating players at several positions.

Four Braves players have started multiple games at three positions: shortstop, left field and right field. Three players have started at least six games in center field. It’s mostly been matchups and performances, not injuries, that have dictated the alignments.

There was a time when Mateo couldn’t get in the lineup. The Braves called up rookie Jim Jarvis to start two games in May with Mateo available. Mateo started getting regular playing time in mid-May and has produced: .937 OPS over his past 12 games through Wednesday.

“Jorge’s been great,” Weiss said. “His attitude has been awesome. And he’s always ready. He’s going to get more opportunities.

“But I’ve got to try to juggle that spot and try to keep all 13 position players involved. It gets interesting at times.”

The Blue Jays series was another example of how Weiss has done well with the juggling.

Kim hit an RBI single during Wednesday’s game (it was a bloop hit, but given his struggles, it was a start). Dubón homered in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday (he started in left field, then shortstop). So, having Mateo on the bench didn’t hurt.

Weiss has managed to get respectable production from the rotating positions in the lineup.

Braves left fielders are tied for 17th in fWAR among MLB teams. The shortstops rank 27th in WAR, but that’s because Kim (minus-0.9 WAR) is dragging down the rest of the group (1.0 WAR combined). Because so many other parts of the team are operating well, Weiss can afford to keep giving Kim at-bats for now with the hope he’ll find his form.

The challenge for Weiss is giving veteran players enough playing time to satisfy them. It helps that the Braves are winning and that Weiss explains his decisions.