Walt Weiss Explains Why He Pinch-Hit for Braves' Hottest Hitter

· Yahoo Sports

Both Smith and Mateo have been great.

The Atlanta Braves fell 6-4 to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, dropping the series finale in Cincinnati.

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Atlanta still holds the best record in baseball at 40-20, but the ninth inning brought a move from manager Walt Weiss that caught some fans off guard.

Weiss Goes With the Lefty Advantage

Trailing 6-3 heading into the ninth, Weiss went to his bench looking for a rally.

After Austin Riley flew out to left field to open the inning, the manager sent left-handed slugger Dominic Smith up to hit in place of Jorge Mateo, who has been one of the hottest hitters on the team all season long.

"I hit for Mateo, who's been one of the hottest hitters on our team," Weiss said after the game. "I think the lefties are a much better option against Santillan right there, he's really tough on righties."

Smith rewarded the decision by battling through a six-pitch at-bat against righty reliever Tony Santillan and drawing a walk after falling behind 0-2.

Ronald Acuna Jr. later singled him home to cut the deficit to two, but Atlanta could not complete the comeback against the 30-28 Reds.

Mateo's Season Has Been Something Else

The pinch-hit move was not a reflection of how Mateo has played this year.

Through 36 games, the 30-year-old shortstop is hitting .316 with a .487 slugging percentage along with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases.

His 138 wRC+ puts him 38 percent above the league-average hitter after adjusting for park and league context, and that is a massive step forward for a career .224 hitter who batted just .177 during an injury-shortened 2025 with Baltimore.

Multi-hit games have become normal for him this season, and his play has earned him more starts at shortstop over Ha-Seong Kim, who has struggled to a .095 average on the year despite carrying a $20 million salary.

Both Players Will Be Big for Atlanta

While Mateo has been the surprise on the position player side, Smith has been just as strong in his role.

The left-handed bat is slashing .324 with a .861 OPS, five home runs and 24 RBI on a deal worth just $1.25 million after signing a minor league contract in March.

His ability to come off the bench and produce against right-handed pitching gives Weiss another real weapon when he needs it most.

The Braves do not have to pick one over the other, and that flexibility is exactly what gives this roster its edge.

Weiss has been willing to mix and match all season, and both Mateo and Smith have come through whenever their names get called.

As Atlanta rolls into June with a comfortable NL East lead, the depth that these two bring is going to be just as valuable as the star power at the top of the lineup.

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