MICHAEL HARRIS NEWS

MLB Team of the Month: Shohei Ohtani rules baseball in June

Shohei Ohtani dominated the month of June at the plate and on the mound. Ben Verlander has the rest of the Team of the Month.

JULY 4, 2022

J-Rod, Harris recognized as June's Rookies of the Month The Rookie of the Month Award winners for June were announced on Saturday, with Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez winning American Lea...

JULY 2, 2022 • MLB.COM

Pops fourth homer Harris went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss to the Phillies.

Impact The rookie took Aaron Nola deep in the fifth inning for his fourth homer in 31 games since his promotion, but Atlanta was already in a 12-1 hole at that point. Harris has hit safely in five straight games and 10 of the last 12, slashing a stunning .341/.356/.545 over that stretch with two home runs and two steals. A 2.5 percent walk rate is just about the only blemish on his performance so far in the majors.

JULY 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Posts steal in win Harris went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

Impact Harris singled in the last run of the game in the seventh inning and added a steal, his second in the last three contests. The rookie outfielder is 6-for-16 (.375) across his last four games, putting his slash line at .327/.351/.509 in 114 plate appearances overall. He's added four steals, three home runs, 15 RBI and 19 runs scored through his first 30 major-league games.

JUNE 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Registers third steal Harris went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 extra-innings loss to the Dodgers.

Impact Harris has six multi-hit efforts in his last 12 games, going 17-for-45 (.378) in that span. He's picked up five extra-base hits in that span, and he continues to display solid contact skills at the plate. The rookie outfielder is slashing .330/.355/.524 with three home runs, three steals, 14 RBI and 18 runs scored through 107 plate appearances. He's solidified a starting role in center field, but he's remained in the No. 9 spot in the order despite the hot bat over his first month in the big leagues.

JUNE 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Three hits in win Harris went 3-for-3 with a triple in Monday's 2-1 win over the Giants.

Impact The rookie continues to shine at the bottom of the order for Atlanta, as he's now slashing an impressive .346/.369/.580 with three home runs, two stolen bases, 14 runs and 13 RBI through his first 22 games in his big leagues. Though his performance would typically warrant a promotion upward in the lineup, Harris seems likely to stick as the No. 9 hitter with Dansby Swanson settling in nicely as Atlanta's No. 2 hitter since moving into that spot in the order in late May.

JUNE 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MLB Team of the Week: Paul Goldschmidt making NL MVP case

Led by MLB candidate Paul Goldschmidt, the St. Louis Cardinals are well-represented in Ben Verlander's Team of the Week.

JUNE 21, 2022

Solo shot in win Harris went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Cubs.

Impact Harris launched his third home run of the season in Sunday's game against the Cubs. Harris is having an excellent start to his rookie campaign with a hit in 14 of 17 June games, including seven multi-hit games. The outfielder is slashing .321/.346/.538 since his call-up on May 28.

JUNE 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in win Harris went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI in a 10-4 win Tuesday in Washington.

Impact Harris doubled in a run in the third and added a solo shot in the sixth. The 21-year-old has homered in consecutive games and hit safely in seven straight. He is thriving in his first 17 games in the majors, slashing .323/.344/.548 with nine extra-base hits and two stolen bases.

JUNE 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Hits first big-league homer Harris went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 9-5 win over the Nationals.

Impact It took 16 games, but Harris finally swatted his first homer, a solo shot off Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan in the eighth inning. In his last six contests, Harris is 8-for-21 (.381) with four extra-base hits. He's maintained a .293/.317/.466 slash line with seven RBI, 10 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases through 60 plate appearances, earning an everyday role in center field.

JUNE 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Adds another steal Harris went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Pirates.

Impact Harris has stolen a base in each of the last two contests, which suggests he's getting a bit more comfortable at the big-league level. He's now 6-for-14 (.429) across his last four games, adding three RBI and five runs scored. The 21-year-old outfielder has six RBI, nine runs scored, five doubles and a triple through 53 plate appearances. Considering he had only 14 home runs in 197 minor-league games, he should be expected to produce more with speed than with power, though the latter tool shouldn't be completely discounted as his game grows.

JUNE 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Steals first big-league bag Harris went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in Friday's win over the Pirates.

Impact While the rookie has exclusively hit ninth in the batting order since his promotion, Harris has still been productive for Atlanta. He's slashing .298/.327/.447 through his first 13 MLB games with five RBI and eight runs scored, and while he's still looking for his first big-league homer, the 21-year-old now has his first steal in the majors after swiping 11 in 43 Double-A games this year.

JUNE 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Braves' Michael Harris II adjusts his swing and thrives An adjustment to how Harris positions his hands has brought the rookie's hitting around. The 21-year-old's defense was already exemplary.

JUNE 11, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Michael Harris II keeps shining, streaking Braves rout A's with home run barrage Defense has long been a strength for Michael Harris II. But his bat has shown signs of life.

JUNE 9, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Collects three hits Thursday Harris went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI in Thursday's 13-6 victory over Colorado.

Impact All of Atlanta's starters on offense collected at least one hit in the contest, and Harris got in on the action with the first multi-hit performance of his young career. The 21-year-old picked up an RBI for the third straight game when he knocked in a run with an infield single in the second inning. Harris was batting .188 heading into the contest, but he raised that mark to .286 with the standout effort.

JUNE 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Draws fourth consecutive start Harris will start in center field and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Impact Harris will man center field for the fourth game in a row, even though Atlanta's top prospect has gone 1-for-9 with one run in his first three contests in the big leagues. He'll need to start producing sooner rather than later or risk a demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett or Double-A Mississippi, but Atlanta looks prepared to give the 21-year-old a trial run as an everyday outfielder. William Contreras -- who is sitting out a second straight game Tuesday -- and Adam Duvall are the main candidates to lose out on playing time while Harris is up with the big club.

MAY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

How did he catch that!? Harris wows with diving snag ATLANTA -- Michael Harris II quickly made it clear just how impactful his defense will prove to be for the Braves. In his second game with t...

MAY 29, 2022 • MLB.COM

Debuting in center field Harris is starting in center field and batting ninth during Saturday's game against the Marlins.

Impact Harris' contract was selected by Atlanta on Saturday, and the 21-year-old will make his major-league debut in center field while Ronald Acuna serves as the designated hitter in his return to the lineup. Harris hasn't played at the Triple-A level but slashed .305/.372/.506 with five homers, 33 runs, 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases over 43 games at Double-A Mississippi to begin the year. Since many of Atlanta's outfielders have struggled recently, the team's top prospect should have plenty of chances to earn playing time in the big leagues.

MAY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Contract selected by Atlanta Harris' contract was selected by Atlanta on Saturday.

Impact Harris got off to a blistering start at Double-A Mississippi, as he reached base safely in his first 31 games of the year and slashed .307/.362/.512 with four home runs, two triples, 10 doubles, 22 RBI, 21 runs and 10 stolen bases during that time. The 21-year-old hasn't played at the Triple-A level, but he'll be rewarded with a significant promotion to the big leagues following his results in Mississippi. Harris is Atlanta's top fantasy prospect and should have a chance to carve out playing time in the majors with Travis Demeritte being sent down in the corresponding move.

MAY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE