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The Atlanta Braves have battled through injuries all season. However, the loss of Ronald Acuña Jr. to a left hamstring strain during a June 9 matchup against the Chicago White Sox was an especially tough pill to swallow.
Prior to suffering the injury, the 28-year-old right fielder batted .240 in June while recording six hits and drawing two walks.
Even as these figures appear to be underwhelming, Acuña Jr. was electric last season, hitting .290 and logging a .417 on-base percentage plus a .935 OPS.
Furthermore, he launched 21 home runs, which would be the first double-digit home run season he had since 2023. That year, Acuña Jr. would hit 41 home runs and lead the Braves with a career-best .337 batting average.
As of now though, Acuña Jr. has struggled in his first four games back with Atlanta, going 2-for-14 at the plate. He would manage just a single hit through three games against the New York Mets earlier in the week.
Regardless, Acuña Jr. could be on the upswing after going yard for the first time following his return in Thursday's opener against Washington. As the Braves stared down a 3-0 deficit in the fourth inning, he pounced on a 93-mph sinker to center field to spoil the shutout.
Acuña Jr.'s clutch swing would also give Atlanta the momentum they needed to take down their divisional opponent when Mike Yastrzemski followed suit in the fifth with a two-run blast to tie the matchup at 3-3.
Ozzie Albies joined in on the action in the sixth with an RBI single, driving in Acuña Jr. and catcher Drake Baldwin to put the Braves ahead 5-3.
“When you look at the top of that lineup -- whether Ronald is leading off or Baldwin is leading off -- it’s Baldwin, Acuña, [Matt] Olson, [Michael] Harris [II and] Albies,” manager Walt Weiss said, according to MLB.com. “It’s a pretty daunting task for any pitcher. Ronald [having] that right-handed bat in the middle of all those lefties is a game changer.”
Even then, the Nationals refused to go down without a fight as Luis García Jr. hit an RBI triple, allowing James Wood to score and bring the game within one.
The rest of the series should provide additional opportunities for Acuña Jr.'s bat to heat back up as the Nationals have been ranking fourth in the NL East. Atlanta will then remain at home to face off against the Miami Marlins who have matched Washington's .500 record.
An Acuña Jr. resurgence might be just what Atlanta has been searching for as the team has its sights set on a rise back to NL dominance after finishing last season 76-86 overall and consequently missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
"It’s good to have Ronald back to see him hit balls into the right-center bullpen," Weiss said. "That’s always a good sign. It’s another great win for our guys."
Acuña Jr. still has two club options for 2027 and 2028 when the final guaranteed year of his contract runs out, leaving the Braves with a major decision to make upon the conclusion of this season.
Continue reading...
Prior to suffering the injury, the 28-year-old right fielder batted .240 in June while recording six hits and drawing two walks.
Even as these figures appear to be underwhelming, Acuña Jr. was electric last season, hitting .290 and logging a .417 on-base percentage plus a .935 OPS.
Furthermore, he launched 21 home runs, which would be the first double-digit home run season he had since 2023. That year, Acuña Jr. would hit 41 home runs and lead the Braves with a career-best .337 batting average.
As of now though, Acuña Jr. has struggled in his first four games back with Atlanta, going 2-for-14 at the plate. He would manage just a single hit through three games against the New York Mets earlier in the week.
Regardless, Acuña Jr. could be on the upswing after going yard for the first time following his return in Thursday's opener against Washington. As the Braves stared down a 3-0 deficit in the fourth inning, he pounced on a 93-mph sinker to center field to spoil the shutout.
Acuña Jr.'s clutch swing would also give Atlanta the momentum they needed to take down their divisional opponent when Mike Yastrzemski followed suit in the fifth with a two-run blast to tie the matchup at 3-3.
Ozzie Albies joined in on the action in the sixth with an RBI single, driving in Acuña Jr. and catcher Drake Baldwin to put the Braves ahead 5-3.
“When you look at the top of that lineup -- whether Ronald is leading off or Baldwin is leading off -- it’s Baldwin, Acuña, [Matt] Olson, [Michael] Harris [II and] Albies,” manager Walt Weiss said, according to MLB.com. “It’s a pretty daunting task for any pitcher. Ronald [having] that right-handed bat in the middle of all those lefties is a game changer.”
Even then, the Nationals refused to go down without a fight as Luis García Jr. hit an RBI triple, allowing James Wood to score and bring the game within one.
The rest of the series should provide additional opportunities for Acuña Jr.'s bat to heat back up as the Nationals have been ranking fourth in the NL East. Atlanta will then remain at home to face off against the Miami Marlins who have matched Washington's .500 record.
An Acuña Jr. resurgence might be just what Atlanta has been searching for as the team has its sights set on a rise back to NL dominance after finishing last season 76-86 overall and consequently missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
"It’s good to have Ronald back to see him hit balls into the right-center bullpen," Weiss said. "That’s always a good sign. It’s another great win for our guys."
Acuña Jr. still has two club options for 2027 and 2028 when the final guaranteed year of his contract runs out, leaving the Braves with a major decision to make upon the conclusion of this season.
Continue reading...
