Time for Braves to make Jim Jarvis the everyday starting shortstop

You have to go all the way back to June 21st to find the last time the Braves won a series, and following a disappointing Game 1 against the Pirates on Tuesday, it looked like the drought might stretch into the All-Star break. Instead, a gem from Atlanta’s pitching staff on Wednesday set the stage, and the offense carried the club to a series win on Thursday — led by rookie Jim Jarvis.

Jarvis smacked his first major-league home run in the fourth inning, a screamer over the right field wall that gave the Braves a 5-2 lead.

First career home run for Jim Jarvis! #LocalFordDealer | #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/EpRhazLBk9

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 9, 2026

He added two more hits and a couple of stellar defensive plays, coming up big with the Pirates threatening to tie in the seventh and eighth. He was the difference in the game — until Mike Yastrzemski piled on some much-needed insurance with a grand slam in the ninth.

With Ha-Seong Kim on the IL, the Braves have to this point split shortstop duties between Jarvis and Jorge Mateo. It’s an odd approach, considering you’d think the club would want to get its young shortstop into a rhythm — especially given the way Mateo has performed.

Mateo’s hot start was a nice early boost at a position of need, but he has just one hit this month and five since the beginning of June. Over his last 23 games, he’s hitting .111 with one extra-base hit, good for a .300 OPS. So for everyone complaining about Ha-Seong Kim — as they should be — Mateo has been every bit as unproductive.

Jarvis, on the other hand, has been a breath of fresh air in limited action. He’s hitting .278 with a homer and a .778 OPS while playing splendid defense at short. And there appears to be some real upside here based on his Triple-A numbers this season, where he hit .313 with 29 extra-base hits over 76 games.

The odds of Jarvis being the Braves’ shortstop of the future might not be high, but right now, he’s far and away the best option in Atlanta. He should be playing every day — at least until Ronald Acuña Jr. returns and Mauricio Dubon can slide back to shortstop.

And who knows? Maybe Jim Jarvis turns out to be the answer the Braves have been searching for at the position since Dansby Swanson signed with the Cubs in free agency.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)