Yaz broke out of his slump on Tuesday.
The Atlanta Braves are 29-13 and own first place in the National League East, riding a deep lineup and a pitching staff that has given opponents almost nothing through the first six weeks.
One of the few sore spots on this roster, though, has been right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who signed a two-year, $23 million deal with Atlanta back in December after splitting time between San Francisco and Kansas City last season.
Going into Tuesday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs, Yastrzemski was slashing .200/.264/.252 with zero home runs and just six RBIs in 115 at-bats.
Not what the Braves had in mind when they brought him in to help fill the gap left by Jurickson Profar's 162-game suspension.
But Tuesday night was a different story entirely.
He went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, capped by a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning that broke things open as the Braves pulled away from a Cubs team that came in at 27-15.
What Weiss' Support Means
After the win, Yastrzemski pointed to the confidence he gets from first-year manager Walt Weiss, who has kept penciling his name into the lineup through five weeks of rough results at the plate.
"[Weiss] knows that what's gone on the last five weeks isn't my best," Yastrzemski said. "I know that, he knows that. With the law of averages, hopefully there's better to come. That gives you confidence as a player when your manager keeps throwing you out there and writes your name in the lineup as often as possible."
Weiss sticking with him says something.
He took over after Brian Snitker retired following a rough 76-86 season in 2025, and the environment he has created since then lets guys grind through cold spells without feeling like their spot is in jeopardy.
That clearly resonates with Yastrzemski, and it showed on Tuesday.
Atlanta Needs More
Tuesday's homer was Yastrzemski's first as a Brave and his first since September 28, 2025, back when he was still with the Royals.
Last season between San Francisco and Kansas City, the 35-year-old hit 17 home runs with 46 RBIs and put together an .839 OPS across his 50 games with the Royals after the trade deadline.
Atlanta saw that stretch and figured he still had more in the tank.
Nobody expects Yastrzemski to carry this offense, but the Braves need him producing at something closer to his second-half numbers from 2025 than the line he was putting up through early May.
Matt Olson has been shouldering a lot of the offensive load and Ronald Acuna Jr. is still working his way into form, so getting Yastrzemski right would give this lineup another gear.
One game is one game.
But that homer in the fifth felt like more than just a stat for someone who had been struggling for over a month.