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Mike Yastrzemski celebrates his three-run home run against the Royals on September 21, 2024.
It’s prediction and projection season across Major League Baseball as the 2026 regular season rapidly approaches. The Atlanta Braves are hoping 2026 is much kinder to the organization than 2025 was. Atlanta made several moves this offseason to help shore up some of their biggest needs. This included addressing the bullpeb by bringing in Robert Suarez and other capable arms. To fix the need for outfield depth, the Braves signed Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year, $23 million deal.
A recent Opening Day lineup project by MLB’s X account has a notable snub, and it’s a pretty puzzling one at that, when you consider the production level between these two players.
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Mike Yastrzemski Left Off Braves Opening Day Lineup Projection
MLB’s X accout is making its round across MLB, predicting and projecting every team’s 2026 Opening Day lineup and rotation.
On Saturday, the NL East is the division of choice by the social team for MLB.
Here is what they came up with for the Atlanta 2026 lineup:
Ronald Acuña Jr. 2. Jurickson Profar 3. Matt Olson 4. Austin Riley 5. Drake Baldwin 6. Ozzie Albies 7. Michael Harris II 8. Eli White 9. Mauricio Dubon
GettyMike Yastrzemski watches his solo home run during a Giants game against the Padres on April 30, 2025.
It’s thought that Mike Yastrzemski was brought into Atlanta to serve as the left fielder, so Profar could take over Marcell Ozuna’s spot at DH. However, MLB’s X page seems to think otherwise, as they have Eli White projected in left field over Yastrzemski. That would mean Yastrzemski is the first option off the bench?
Mike Yastrzemski hit 17 home runs in 2025 with the Giants and Royals, and has 123 homers in seven career seasons. He’s consistently been an above-average hitter his entire career.
It would be bizarre for Atlanta, which signed Mike Yastrzemski to a multi-year extension, to utilize him in a non-starting role to start the season.
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Eli White vs. Mike Yastrzemski
Eli White might pose a better defensive option than Mike Yastrzemski. However, White appeared in 100+ games for the Braves last season and posted an OPS of .677.
White has spent three seasons in the Braves organization, and he got his chance last year with all the injuries, but now that it’s a fresh season with fresh faces like Yastrzemski, White should be a bench option for Atlanta.
Last season, Yastrzemski had better numbers in all of these categories: RBI, HR, doubles, OPS, hits, and runs scored.
Maybe MLB’s X account knows something we don’t, and this isn’t to say White isn’t a servicable players, because he is, but to leave off one of the Braves’ biggest offseason additions in the Opening Day lineup doesn’t seem accurate.
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