Vaughn Grissom to hit seventh in 2023 debut, Kevin Pillar starts in left field

Vaughn Grissom is set to make his 2023 debut on the heels of Orlando Arcia’s injury, and he will bat seventh in his first big league game of the year:

Kevin Pillar starts in left field, pushing Marcell Ozuna to the bench.

Meanwhile, the Royals will stack up this way:

This is Kansas City’s 14th different lineup in 14 games. It’s the second time they’ve used this starting nine; the prior time was their most recent game of the season, a 10-1 win over the Rangers.

Among Braves in tonight’s lineup, only former ALers Eddie Rosario, Matt Olson, and Sean Murphy have faced Singer. Rosario is 4-for-11 with a double and a homer off Singer, with all of those PAs coming in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Olson faced Singer in one game in 2021 and had two strikeouts and a walk. Murphy faced Singer in one game last year and managed a single and a pop-up double in two trips to the plate. Singer will be a new experience for everyone else in the lineup.

The Royals are even less familiar with Morton, given their lineup’s overall youth and inexperience. Only veterans Salvador Perez and Franmil Reyes have faced Morton. Perez is 0-for-5 with a walk and a strkeout in his career; Reyes is 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.

First pitch should be at 8:10 pm ET.