Michael Harris, II has been a polarizing figure for the Atlanta Braves this year.
His early to mid-season slump had many calling for his reallocation to Triple-A, while others stayed adamant that Harris’ time was coming; it would just take time.
Those who stood with Harris got quite the talking point this past week, as the Braves centerfielder’s numbers absolutely exploded. Harris batted 11-for-23, slashing .478/.500/1.000 with two doubles, triples, and homers, all while playing stellar defense.
These heroics earned Harris NL Player of the Week honors.
Your National League Player of the Week: @MoneyyyMikeee! 💸 pic.twitter.com/kEMs6gQght
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 28, 2025
When asked about his sudden success, Harris seemed to adopt the “better late than never” mentality.
“The only thing I can say is I find something mechanically or something that starts to get me in a groove towards the middle of the season to help me finish the season pretty well,” Harris said, via MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “I don’t know why it’s like that, but baseball is a game of adjustments. If you can’t adjust, you can’t play this game. So, I’d rather find it in the middle of the season or late than never.”
The former Rookie of the Year even found himself on cycle watch Saturday evening in a matchup against the Rangers.
In the top of the ninth, with a double, triple, and home run, all Harris needed was a single, yet once he saw he had extra bases available, he chose to make the hustle play and legged out his second triple of the game, effectively ending his chances at a cycle but putting the Braves in a better spot to win the game.
The Braves lost anyway, but it certainly wasn’t Harris’s fault. It just seems to be the way the season’s going.
Despite Harris’s heroics, the Braves still managed to put up one of their worst weeks in recent memory, as the team was swept by the Rangers and nearly swept by both the Giants and Yankees. Additionally, Atlanta suffered a 9-6 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday night while losing Ronald Acuña to the 10-day IL (Achilles tightness) in the process.
The Braves could certainly use a team-wide “groove,” as Harris put it, as the team currently sits 16 games below .500 and 16.5 games out of first in the NL East ahead of their Wednesday matchup against the Royals, which is slated to start at 2:10 p.m. ET.
