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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Atlanta Braves saw a brutal losing streak extend to seven games after falling to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday and their issues are getting difficult to ignore.
The team sits at 10 games below .500 and 14 games back from the lead in the National League East division and it's starting to seem as if their playoff streak is going to come to an end. Among the many issues have been a shaky bullpen, injuries and streaky hitting throughout the lineup. But one of the biggest has been the lack of offense from center fielder Michael Harris II.
"Despite playing elite defense, Harris is one of the worst qualified centerfielders in baseball this year thanks to a bat that has gone missing in action," wrote Mitchell Barbee of FanSided. "With the Braves continuing to free fall, the club might have to do the unthinkable to get their centerfielder back on track."
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Harris has a concerning .237/.265/.343 slash line so far this year, which marks lows across the board for his four-year career with the Braves. Despite his stellar defense and emergence as one of the team's cornerstone players, the Braves have to consider sending Harris to the minor leagues where he can work on retooling his approach to the plate.
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"The Braves desperately need to get Harris back on track, but if the lefty continues to look as lost as he does at the plate, they might have no option but to send him down for 10 days to get his swing back on track," Barbee added. "The Braves are certainly not expected to banish Harris to the minors forever, but if Harris cannot make the adjustment quickly, the Braves might have no other option but to play Eli White and Jose Azocar in center while Harris relearns his power stroke."
As harsh as Harris' season has been so far, the Braves have good reason to believe he can bounce back with a brief change of scenery. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award thanks to a special combination of defense and offense after slashing .297/.339/.514 that year. His offense has regressed every year since, but those tools must still be there somewhere.
If the Braves can unlock a turnaround by sending him to the minors for a bit, their lineup could get a major boost when he returns.
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