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The Atlanta Braves have been without superstar right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. for over a month. The 28-year-old Venezuelan native reaggravated his left hamstring strain for the second time this year back in early June during a game against the Chicago White Sox. Acuna has played just 53 out of 98 possible games this year.
Fortunately, he has made a ton of progress and is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, working his way back to the Braves as quickly as possible.
One topic that has continued to surface is what Atlanta should do with Acuna when he returns and what his role will look like.
It is no secret that his laundry list of lower-body injuries has affected his athleticism in the outfield, and while on his rehab assignment, he has gotten plenty of action as a designated hitter.
That has led some fans to believe his role could shift when he rejoins the big-league club. However, that will not be the case according to Atlanta’s manager, Walt Weiss.
"Weiss said Acuña will be primarily used as a RF when he is activated later this week. He'll definitely play some more games with Gwinnett this week," reported Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
A big reason it makes sense to keep him as a primary right fielder is the presence of catcher Drake Baldwin.
Baldwin is an everyday player in the lineup and rightfully so. He earned an All-Star selection this year and is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. However, he gets a designated hitter start twice out of every five days, making it impractical to hand the role to Acuna entirely.
The Braves will likely have to play it safe with Acuna and hope he can turn a corner from a health standpoint, because they are going to need him as the playoffs get closer.
Acuna got off to a slow start this season but really turned it around as the year progressed.
Across 195 at-bats, he has posted a .251 batting average, .373 on-base percentage, .793 OPS, seven home runs and 22 RBIs, and he remains one of the most dangerous hitters in the league when available.
Entering Monday's series opener against the San Diego Padres, Atlanta held a three-game NL East lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies, a margin that has shrunk considerably from the double-digit advantage they held back in June. That said, Atlanta picked up a victory on Monday to help the cause.
Getting Acuna back in the lineup and in right field makes that division lead a lot easier to protect.
Continue reading...
Fortunately, he has made a ton of progress and is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett, working his way back to the Braves as quickly as possible.
One topic that has continued to surface is what Atlanta should do with Acuna when he returns and what his role will look like.
It is no secret that his laundry list of lower-body injuries has affected his athleticism in the outfield, and while on his rehab assignment, he has gotten plenty of action as a designated hitter.
That has led some fans to believe his role could shift when he rejoins the big-league club. However, that will not be the case according to Atlanta’s manager, Walt Weiss.
"Weiss said Acuña will be primarily used as a RF when he is activated later this week. He'll definitely play some more games with Gwinnett this week," reported Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
A big reason it makes sense to keep him as a primary right fielder is the presence of catcher Drake Baldwin.
Baldwin is an everyday player in the lineup and rightfully so. He earned an All-Star selection this year and is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. However, he gets a designated hitter start twice out of every five days, making it impractical to hand the role to Acuna entirely.
The Braves will likely have to play it safe with Acuna and hope he can turn a corner from a health standpoint, because they are going to need him as the playoffs get closer.
Acuna got off to a slow start this season but really turned it around as the year progressed.
Across 195 at-bats, he has posted a .251 batting average, .373 on-base percentage, .793 OPS, seven home runs and 22 RBIs, and he remains one of the most dangerous hitters in the league when available.
Entering Monday's series opener against the San Diego Padres, Atlanta held a three-game NL East lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies, a margin that has shrunk considerably from the double-digit advantage they held back in June. That said, Atlanta picked up a victory on Monday to help the cause.
Getting Acuna back in the lineup and in right field makes that division lead a lot easier to protect.
Continue reading...
