Eddie Rosario was a hero of last year’s postseason run. His nuclear performance in the NLCS against the Dodgers helped the Braves finally get over the hump and reach the World Series for the first time since the turn of the century. It was also the primary reason the Braves opted to re-sign him in the offseason to a two-year, $18 million contract. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come anywhere close to living up to that deal thus far.
Rosario began the year in an almost unexplainable slump. It was rather apparent something was off, and just three weeks into the season, he underwent laser eye surgery, costing him the next two-and-a-half months. When he returned, things were better, but not by much. In his first 41 games back, he hit just .221 with four homers — good for a .642 OPS. That’s not going to earn him much playing time in this lineup, but Brian Snitker has stuck with him, as he does with most of his guys, and it could pay major dividends down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Over his past 14 games, Rosario has hit .316 with a .797 OPS, which includes Monday’s performance, in which he went 2-for-4 with his first home run since August 15th against the Mets. I’m not sure we will ever see him hit like he did against the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS. Hell, a performance like that may never happen again, but getting Rosario back in a groove could be critical to the Braves making another deep run in the playoffs. With Ozzie Albies out for the remainder of the season, Atlanta will need additional contributions from everyone, and while Rosario has looked like a shell of himself all season, it looks like he could be rounding into form at the right time.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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