William Contreras starting in left field Monday against Phillies

The Atlanta Braves will have a new look to their lineup when they begin a four-game series Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. William Contreras will make his first career start in left field and will hit second.

Contreras homered twice in Saturday’s win in Miami. He is 8-for-33 on the season and six of those hits have left the yard. His Statcast numbers are encouraging with six barrels among 24 batted ball events to go along with a .501 xwOBA. Putting him in left is an interesting decision, especially after Brian Snitker declared that experiment over twice over the last two weeks. By having him in left field, the Braves wouldn’t have to worry about losing the DH if Travis d’Aranud had to leave the game.

Additionally, Matt Olson drops from second in the order to fifth. After a hot start, Olson is hitting just .183/.318/.366 through 19 games in May. Travis Demeritte, who is hitless in his last 28 at-bats, is out of the lineup for Monday’s game.