ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II is on quite a roll for the Atlanta Braves.
Even when he's ailing, he still finds a way to come up with the biggest hit of the game.
After being scratched from the lineup because of tightness in his left quad, Harris delivered as a pinch-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
Harris drove a two-run double against the wall in left-center off Andrew Painter to lead the Braves to a 5-3 victory, handing
the Phillies their 10th straight loss.
“He's really feeling it right now," manager Walt Weiss said. “We've seen him like this before, but this might be another level."
Harris left the previous day’s victory at Washington in the seventh inning, and the Braves decided to play it safe by not starting him in the opener of a weekend series against the struggling Phillies.
But with Atlanta trailing 3-2, two runners aboard and two outs in the sixth inning, Weiss decided to send Harris up against fading Phillies starter Andrew Painter.
One could hardly blame the manager. Harris is off to a blistering start for the first-place Braves, hitting .326 with six homers and 18 RBIs.
“If the situation showed itself, I was going to use him,” Weiss said. "That was probably the only time we could guarantee he was gonna face a right-handed pitcher. With a couple of guys on and two outs, we took a shot right there. Mikey was ready. He had been swinging in the cage. He was ready for that moment and got a huge hit for us.”
Harris had faced Painter just last weekend in Philadelphia. He homered in a 4-2 victory that completed a three-game sweep.
“I kind of knew what he had,” Harris said. “I just went up there and tried to put a good swing on it.”
Harris looked just fine as he jogged into second base. He didn’t even feel his quad as he watched the ball sail over the head of leaping Brandon Marsh in left field.
“I couldn’t even tell you” if it was hurting, Harris said. “I was worried about the ball getting down.”
Even so, he was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Jorge Mateo, who stole third and came home for an insurance run on a wild pitch by Painter.
It's been quite a season — on and off the field — for Harris. He and his wife, Esther, welcomed their first child two weeks ago, a boy named Michael Harris III. He's known as Trip, which is short for triple.
“It's pretty good,” Harris said, breaking into a big smile when asked what it was like to a new father.
The NL rookie of the year in 2022, Harris struggled mightily to regain the form he showed in that debut season. But he started to turns things around in the second half of 2025, and that momentum has carried through the first month of this campaign.
Asked to explain his turnaround, Harris replied, “I don't think I can, and that's the best thing about it. Just let it happen. I can't really figure out what's going right and what's was going wrong before. I just know what feels good and trying to stay this way.”
The Braves have nine of 10 for the best record in the majors at 19-8. Most notably, they already have a 10 1/2-game lead over the two-time reigning NL East champion Phillies with the season not yet a month old.
“We can't take that for granted," Harris said. “We've got to keep our foot on their necks.”
Harris' status is day to day. The Braves hope he'll be back in the lineup Saturday, but they're not taking any chances.
“We're gonna be cautious," Weiss said. “That soft-tissue stuff can be tricky. We want to use good judgment here.”
Besides, Harris showed he can do plenty of damage with just one swing.
“He’s the GOAT,” said Braves starter Grant Holmes, who picked up the win off Harris' big blow. "It’s crazy. It’s like every time he’s up there, he gets a hit. He’s coming through big time for the guys.”
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