Mateo making most of Braves opportunity while Kim looks to change his luck

CINCINNATI -- Jorge Mateo is making the most of his opportunity while Ha-Seong Kim is awaiting his next one.

The two infielders have been on different tracks of late and Braves manager Walt Weiss believes both can play a vital role. One has caught fire while the other is trying to jump on a moving train after a series of bad injury breaks.

The 30-year-old Mateo received his second straight start at shortstop Friday, and third straight start overall for the Braves, who boast MLB’s best record at 38-19 entering Friday’s series opener against the Reds in Cincinnati.

In 34 games (19 starts) Mateo is slashing .324/.370/.471 while Kim is struggling with a .095/.191/.095 slash line in 12 games. Mateo went 4-for-8 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in his last two games. He has multiple hits in six of his last nine starts and his .324 batting average is the best 34-game span of his career.

While Kim has managed just four singles in May, Mateo has provided consistent hard contact, including four doubles, two home runs and a .471 slugging percentage that has lengthened the bottom of Atlanta's order. Mateo also brings blazing speed and is one of the fastest players in baseball by sprint speed, per Statcast. He has weaponized his speed to swipe six bases and score 18 runs, providing a dynamic threat on the basepaths.

Mateo, a career .226 hitter, has drastically improved his numbers in a limited sample this season after spending the last 4-plus seasons with Baltimore. The Braves are hoping his .370 OBP this season is a sign that his plate discipline is reaching a new level.

“He's a talented player, very tooled up,” Weiss said before Friday’s game. “I've always liked him from afar, and he's done a nice job for us. The thing I'm most impressed with is he's kept himself ready mentally, and his attitude has been great, because there've been some dry spells for him where he hadn't played, and but he's always staying ready mentally, physically, and it pays off. He gets in the lineup and helps us win some games. So, I’ve tipped my cap to Georgie for the way he has stayed ready.”

The flip side of this equation is how to ride through the tough times with Kim, a 30-year-old former Gold Glove shortstop the Braves liked enough in the offseason to sign to a one-year, $20 million deal in the offseason. Kim signed the deal thinking he had put his bad luck behind him after missing the majority of the 2025 season with Tampa Bay due to offseason shoulder surgery, managing only 48 games between Tampa and Atlanta.

Just as he looked to start fresh, disaster struck in January. While in South Korea, Kim slipped on a patch of ice. The fall resulted in a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger, requiring immediate surgery in Atlanta. This freak injury forced him to completely skip Spring Training, delaying his 2026 season debut until May 12.

“It's just difficult trying to jump in midstream,” Weiss said. “I know things move fast. I experienced that myself as a player, missing a whole year one time and coming back in June in the middle of a season. It's tough for me, so I've been in his shoes. But he's going to be a part of this moving forward. He’s working on some things. He had a good work day [Thursday] in the cage. I'm gonna allow him to do that for another day or two, and just kind of slow things down, and then let him work on some things. But he's gonna be a big part of this, and he's a really good player, and that's going to show up.”