The Atlanta Braves secured an 8-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday and have won the first three games of the series entering Sunday’s finale.
Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. started in right field in each of the first three games, but manager Walt Weiss is making a lineup change for Sunday’s matchup, which will feature Cade Cavalli on the mound for Washington and JR Ritchie for Atlanta.
Braves Announce Acuna Jr. Change
As Acuna Jr. continues to work his way back from the injured list after returning on July 27, the Braves are taking a cautious approach with his workload in the outfield.
As a result, Acuna Jr. will serve as the designated hitter on Sunday.
Mike Yastrzemski will replace him in right field, while Michael Harris II will start in center and Mauricio Dubón will patrol left field.
Braves 8/2
D. Baldwin C
R. Acuña Jr. DH
M. Olson 1B
M. Harris II CF
O. Albies 2B
M. Dubón LF
M. Yastrzemski RF
A. Riley 3B
J. Jarvis SSJ. Ritchie SP
â Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 2, 2026
Acuna Jr.’s 2026 Stats
Acuna Jr. has spent time on the injured list again this season, something that has unfortunately become familiar over the past few years.
When healthy, however, he has continued to produce. Through the first three games of the series against Washington, he has scored four runs and hit two home runs in 11 at-bats.
Overall, Acuna Jr. is slashing .240/.419/.782 with 36 runs, 52 hits, nine home runs, and 24 RBIs across 59 games and 217 at-bats.
Braves Right Now
Atlanta owns a commanding lead in the NL East at 66-45, sitting 8.0 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.
The Braves still trail both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers by roughly three games for the National League’s best record. If the season ended today, Atlanta would host the Phillies in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
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