Adam

Duvall

The home run was Duvall’s 11th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Cristopher Sanchez in the sixth inning. Duvall was temporarily filling in as the left fielder for Jorge Soles, who is expected to return to the lineup on Friday. Duvall is hitting .186 with a .577 OPS and 30 RBI on the season.

Soler will miss his seventh straight contest on Thursday night due to a lingering left hamstring strain. The 32-year-old slugger has come off the bench to pinch-hit in the last two games, but isn’t expected to rejoin Atlanta’s lineup until Friday night. It’ll be Adam Duvall patrolling left field in his absence.

With the Braves facing a left-handed starter, Kelenic will take a seat with Adam Duvall in the lineup batting fifth. The concern for Kelenic is that he could remain on the bench more regularly, even against righties, when Jorge Soler returns from injury this weekend. Ramon Laureano has been outplaying Kelenic pretty clearly over the last few weeks, so it’s possible the Braves shift Kelenic to be a left-handed hitter off the bench.

That Laureano got the nod over Adam Duvall tonight is a clear indication of how the Braves feel about those two right now, and Laureano went on to demonstrate that he was the right choice. The Braves do have the option of sending down Eli White to make room for Michael Harris II on Wednesday, but it looks like Duvall is the leading candidate to get the boot.

Marcell Ozuna is locked in at DH, so this is a bet than Soler, who hasn’t played a single game in the field this year, can still cut it in left. Maybe that will work out, but it is pretty scary that he’s owed $26 million between 2025 and 2026. On the plus side, the Braves didn’t have to give up much in return for a legit bat. Jarred Kelenic figures to move to right field now and platoon with Adam Duvall. Eddie Rosario could lose his roster spot. The Giants can mix and match at DH, and maybe Wade Meckler will earn a shot in the coming weeks.

Duvall sent a hanging slider from Kodai Senga into the left field seats early in this game before the Mets’ offense erupted then hit a solo home run in the ninth inning off of Jake Diekman when Atlanta was far behind. Duvall’s season has been so poor that these two homers alone raised his OPS from .560 to .589.

Duvall, who came into this one hitting .136/.168/.197 in 137 plate appearances against right-handers, took Zac Gallen deep in the sixth, knocking him out of the game. The Braves still ought to consider upgrading in his spot soon, but at least he has turned it on some by opening July 10-for-31 with two homers.

Duvall singled home Luke Williams in the bottom of the 10th to give Atlanta a victory and Duvall his 20th RBI of 2024. The 35-year-old outfielder went hitless prior to that knock and is hitting a paltry .167/.239/.290, but Atlanta and Duvall probably aren’t thinking about that too much right now. Fantasy managers just shouldn’t consider adding him until — or if — he gets going again.

It’ll be veteran Adam Duvall getting a chance to face Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes on Saturday afternoon with Laureano absent from the lineup for a second straight day due to back soreness.

Duvall has now been on the bench for the last two games against right-handed pitching, so it’s possible that the Braves are moving him back into a short-side platoon. Forrest Wall is starting in left field and Ramon Laureano will get another start in right field. Laureano has now started in five straight games and seems to be held in higher regard by the Braves than Duvall at the moment.