The Atlanta Braves made a significant lineup decision on Saturday, inserting Michael Harris II into the starting nine as the designated hitter for their matchup against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Harris has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball to open the 2025 season. Through 31 games, the 25-year-old center fielder is slashing .324/.358/.926 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs — production that echoes his Rookie of the Year form from 2022. But over the past week, nagging left quad tightness has kept him out of the outfield and limited him to pinch-hitting duties.

The decision to start Harris at DH comes one day after he delivered arguably the most clutch swing of Atlanta's season so far. In Friday's pinch-hit appearance, he launched a go-ahead two-run homer that lifted the Braves to an 8-6 victory — a reminder that even at less than 100 percent, his bat remains a game-changer.

Manager Walt Weiss acknowledged that Harris' quad issue has been slow to improve, and the team is proceeding with caution. "If it continues to progress this way, he may need a stint on the 10-day injured list," Weiss said earlier this week. For now, the Braves are content to keep Harris in the lineup as the DH, preserving his elite outfield defense for when he's fully healthy.

The timing is critical for Atlanta, which entered Saturday with a major league-best 23-10 record. While Harris' value is amplified by his Gold Glove-caliber defense in center, his bat alone makes a massive impact. The Braves are betting that keeping him in the lineup — even in a limited role — is worth the risk, especially this early in the season.

For now, Harris will hit fifth and focus on doing what he does best: raking. The question of when he'll patrol the outfield again remains unanswered, but for a team that looks like the class of the National League, every at-bat from their young star matters.