Eddie Rosario heating up is exactly what the Braves offense needed

The Braves played .500 ball for the month of May, falling well short of expectations after a scorching hot April. The starting rotation held up their end of the bargain, and the bullpen wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be, but the offense sputtered far too often.

A primary reason for that was the lack of production at the end of the order. Guys like Ronald Acuña, Matt Olson, and Sean Murphy have produced at an All-Star rate from the opening bell, but the likes of Eddie Rosario and Michael Harris II had contributed next to nothing. That changed last week in a big way for one of the Braves struggling outfielders.

Eddie Rosario has raised his batting average by nearly 30 points over the last seven games. He’s racked up 11 hits, including seven of the extra-base variety and three homers, good for a 1.286 OPS. On the season, Rosario’s numbers are now just about league average offensively. He boasts a .754 OPS and an OPS+ of 99, which is one percent below league average. Those numbers look even better over the last five weeks. Since April 24th, Rosario’s watched his average climb by over 80 points. In that stretch, he’s hit nearly .300 with seven homers and an .879 OPS.

Entering the most recent road trip, Eddie Rosario’s body of work for the season was less than stellar, and it was fair to wonder if Braves fans would ever get another look at the man that was such a critical piece to Atlanta’s 2021 World Series run. But he’s beginning to look like himself again, which is exactly what this offense has been missing. The guys at the top are going to produce, but this is a gauntlet when they are at their best. Having Eddie Rosario and Michael Harris II hitting at the end of the lineup is typically a luxury very few teams can brag about. For a large part of the season, they weren’t holding up their end of the bargain. Harris is still in a funk, but Rosario looks to have found something. When both of those guys are contributing, the Braves are going to be very tough to beat every time they take the field.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire