Atlanta Braves Announce Sudden Ha-Seong Kim Demotion Before Astros Series

On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves will begin a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

Most recently, the Braves lost 8-4 on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs .

Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim went 0-for-3 during Wednesday's loss.

Atlanta Braves Announce Ha-Seong Kim Decision

Ahead of the series opener against the Houston Astros, the Atlanta Braves have announced their starting lineup.

Underdog MLB posted on X: "Braves 9/18 D. Baldwin DH R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón SS O. Albies 2B M. Yastrzemski LF A. Riley 3B S. Murphy C T. Mahle SP"

After Wednesday's hitless performance, Ha-Seong Kim has returned to the team's bench. Kim has now gone hitless in his last four appearances for the Braves.

While the shortstop improved marginally over the past month, his offensive struggles have continued as he has been unable to perform well offensively in any sustained period this season.

The Braves shortstop is batting .123 with 14 hits, one double, eight runs, nine RBIs and two stolen bases in 46 games.

Kim signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Atlanta Braves this offseason, after previously playing 24 games for them during the 2025 season. Kim posted a .253 batting average with the Braves in those 24 games.

After dropping two out of three against the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves fell to 89-64. They still hold a four-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, and hold the tiebreaker. Atlanta's magic number to clinch the division title is five games. The Braves have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle is set to make his eighth start of the season for Atlanta. Mahle has been stellar since joining Atlanta, as he's posted a 3-1 record and a 1.25 ERA in 43.1 innings for the Braves this season.

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have also announced their starting lineup for Friday's series opener.

Underdog MLB posted on X: "Astros 9/18 J. Peña SS Y. Alvarez DH I. Paredes 3B J. Altuve 2B D. Varsho CF C. Walker 1B T. Trammell RF L. Wade Jr. LF C. Vázquez C P. Lambert SP"

At 77-76, the Houston Astros hold a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West. The Astros have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games.