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Who will hit ninth for the Braves most often in 2026?

Feb 25, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubon (14) dives for a ground ball in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

A quick one, off a stray thought.

When the Braves ran out their lineup of regulars-ish a couple of days ago in a home Spring Training contest, Mauricio Dubon was hitting ninth, even behind Jonah Heim. Two days before that, Dubon was hitting ninth behind Aaron Schunk, of all people. It’s early in Spring Training, but it looks like Dubon is essentially being told he’s going to be hitting ninth when present while filling in for Ha-Seong Kim. (This is where we cross our fingers that no other injury that somehow makes Dubon not the default choice for ninth occurs.)

But, Dubon isn’t meant to be a starter. Kim will be back eventually.

So, the question really comes down to: will Dubon be a super-sub enough and always hit ninth to be the answer to this question, or will it warp into someone else? And, if so, who?

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