Hilliard remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
The lefty-hitting Hilliard is on the bench for the sixth time in seven games, with four of those absences coming against right-handed pitching. The return of Michael Harris from the injured list coupled with Marcell Ozuna's recent surge at the plate appears to have resulted in Hilliard moving out of a strong-side platoon role, and the impending return of Travis d'Arnaud (concussion) from the IL will only further complicate matters.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: On bench for matinee
Rotowire
Hilliard is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader with the Mets.
With Michael Harris returning from the injured list Friday, Hilliard no longer looks like he has a path to regular playing time in center field, but the 28-year-old was still expected to contend for reps in left field. Instead, the righty-hitting Kevin Pillar has started both of the first two games in left field since Harris' return, with Atlanta facing a lefty (David Peterson) and righty (Denyi Reyes) in those contests. Since Hilliard is a left-handed hitter, he would make sense as a strong-side platoon option in left field, but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker appears to be favoring Pillar for now, perhaps in large part to the superior defense Pillar provides at the position.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Sitting in Harris' return
Rotowire
Hilliard isn't in Atlanta's lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.
With Michael Harris (back) returning to action, Hilliard no longer has a clear path to playing time in center field. The 29-year-old has hit well enough this season to be more than a bench player though, and he could form a platoon in left field with Kevin Pillar, who will bat eighth Friday against left-hander David Peterson.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Hilliard is not in Atlanta's lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.
The left-handed hitting Hilliard is taking a seat against Miami southpaw Braxton Garrett. Kevin Pillar is in center field and Eddie Rosario is in left Thursday for Atlanta.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Hits two homers, steals base in win
Rotowire
Hilliard went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a solo home run and one steal in Monday's 11-0 victory over Miami.
Hilliard gave the Braves a 3-0 lead in the fourth with a two-run blast and extended the advantage to 6-0 in the sixth with a solo shot. He also stole his fourth bag of the season after reaching on a fielder's choice in the second. Through 17 appearances (51 plate appearances), Hilliard is slashing .333/.412/.622, but he's struck out 20 times while drawing just six walks.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Swipes third bag
Rotowire
Hilliard went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the Padres.
The 29-year-old continues to fill in admirably for Michael Harris (back). Since Harris landed on IL, Hilliard has started eight of 12 games on the strong side of a platoon with Eli White and gone 11-for-28 (.393) with three doubles, a homer, two RBI, seven runs and two of his three steals on the season. He's also struck out 13 times during that stretch, however, making his ability to sustain his success at the plate questionable at best.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Out of lineup against lefty
Rotowire
Hilliard is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Padres.
Similar to Monday's lineup versus lefty Ryan Weathers, Eli White will get the start in center field for Atlanta with southpaw Blake Snell set to toe the rubber at Petco Park. Kevin Pillar is playing left field.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Takes seat versus lefty
Rotowire
Hilliard is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker will roll out an all righty-hitting outfield to counter Padres southpaw Ryan Weathers. Hilliard and fellow lefty hitter Eddie Rosario will hit the bench while Kevin Pillar, Eli White and Ronald Acuna fill out the outfield from left to right.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Slugs first Atlanta homer
Rotowire
Hilliard went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's win over the Royals.
He took Brady Singer deep in the second inning for his first homer in an Atlanta jersey. Hilliard is batting .348 (8-for-23) over the last eight games with three doubles, four walks, one homer, one steal, two RBI and five runs, but Michael Harris (back) could bump Hilliard back to the bench when the former is activated from the injured list.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Steals second bag
Rotowire
Hilliard went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Reds.
The 29-year-old is taking advantage of Michael Harris' absence due to a back injury, going 6-for-17 (.353) while starting five of the last six games with three doubles, three runs, an RBI and Wednesday's steal, his second of the season. Hilliard has also struck out nine times during that stretch though, and with Harris potentially back from the injured list Monday, his run of fantasy usefulness figures to be fleeting.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Bangs out two doubles
Rotowire
Hilliard went 2-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Reds.
Starting in center field and batting ninth, Hilliard put Atlanta in the lead for good with an RBI two-bagger in the fourth inning. Hilliard has started four of five games since Michael Harris (back) landed on the IL, going 6-for-15 with three doubles, an RBI and two runs.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Heads to bench Monday
Rotowire
Hilliard is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
Following Michael Harris' (back) placement on the injured list Friday, Hilliard picked up three straight starts in center field to close out Atlanta's weekend series versus San Diego, going a collective 4-for-11 with a double, a run and seven strikeouts. Though the high strikeout rate is a concern for Hilliard moving forward, he should still be locked in as Atlanta's preferred option in center field for the time being while Harris is on the shelf. Eli White will get a look in center in the series opener with the Reds, however.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Starting in center field Friday
Rotowire
Hilliard will start in center field and bat ninth Friday against the Padres.
Hilliard could see a significant boost in playing time with Michael Harris (back) requiring a 10-day IL stint. The 29-year-old former Rockies prospect has flashed solid offensive potential in the past and might be worth a look in some NL-only formats while Harris is in recovery mode.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Cracks Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Hilliard has won a bench role on Atlanta's 26-man roster to begin the season.
The former Rockie has some competition this spring for the role, but hitting .417 (20-for-48) in Grapefruit League play and being out of minor-league options put him over the top. Hilliard should get only occasional starts in the outfield while Atlanta's starters are healthy, but he could be used as a frequent late-game defensive replacement.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Swats first spring homer
Rotowire
Hilliard went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's split-squad game against the Blue Jays.
The long ball didn't come until the seventh inning, but the 29-year-old took Erik Swanson deep to right-center field for his first spring homer. Hilliard failed to make much impact over four seasons with Colorado, but he appears likely to begin 2023 in a bench role for Atlanta.
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Braves' Sam Hilliard: Dealt to Atlanta
Rotowire
Hilliard was traded from Colorado to Atlanta in exchange for Dylan Spain on Sunday.
Hilliard appeared in 70 major-league games in 2022 but slashed just .184/.280/.264 with two homers, 26 runs, 14 RBI and five steals before spending the final month of the year in the minors. He'll have to compete for a big-league roster spot during spring training in 2023, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him have to settle for a role at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Hilliard was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday.
Hilliard started four of the Rockies' last seven games, but he didn't get much going at the plate, so the Rockies decided to remove him from the major-league roster for the time being. He will have a chance to rejoin the big club before the campaign comes to a close.
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Rockies' Sam Hilliard: Swipes fifth bag
Rotowire
Hilliard went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Mets.
Hilliard reached base via a walk in the fifth inning and stole second base, his fifth theft of the season. Hilliard also recorded a single to center in the top of the ninth and advanced to second via a wild pitch, but he failed to score. Despite the handful of stolen bases, the outfielder has been tough to roster this season with a .184/.280/.264 slash line through 200 plate appearances.
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Rockies' Sam Hilliard: Still not starting
Rotowire
Hilliard isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Mets, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.
Left-hander David Peterson is on the mound for the Mets on Saturday, so Hilliard will be on the bench for the third time in the last four games. Wynton Bernard is starting in left field and batting ninth.
