Bryan De La Cruz

De La Cruz is starting in right field and batting seventh against the Dodgers on Monday.

Atlanta's nightmarish start to the 2025 campaign continues. Profar put together an unexpected breakthrough campaign last year with the Padres, which now has some additional context, before signing a three-year, $42 million in the offseason to take over as the Braves' everyday left fielder. His absence also creates a void in the leadoff spot. The club's recent outfield additions, most notably Alex Verdugo and Stuart Fairchild, make a lot more sense with Profar set to miss the entire first half of the season. It'll be some combination of Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz getting the first shot at replacing him in Atlanta's lineup. It remains to be seen whether the Braves will finally commit to putting Michael Harris II in the leadoff spot. We'll see.

Fairchild is out of options, so he'll join the major league club. That seems like bad news for Bryan De La Cruz, who does have options and who fills a similar role as a platoon outfielder against left-handers. It's possible the Braves could demote Eli White instead, but that seems unlikely. Fairchild, 29, hit just .215/.286/.368 for the Reds last season, but he was still a surprise exclusion from this year's roster. He's a lifetime .248/.346/.409 hitter against lefties, and he's a big defensive upgrade from De La Cruz.

The Braves scaled back spending this offseason, but still brought in an All-Star outfielder and a lot of depth options to bolster the roster. Major League Signings Jurickson Profar, OF: Three years, $42MM Alex Verdugo, OF: One year, $1.5MM Bryan De La Cruz, OF: One year split contract, $860K prorated salary for time on active…

The Braves scaled back spending this offseason, but still brought in an All-Star outfielder and a lot of depth options to bolster the roster. Major League Signings Jurickson Profar, OF: Three years, $42MM Alex Verdugo, OF: One year, $1.5MM Bryan De La Cruz, OF: One year split contract, $860K prorated salary for time on active…