Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos indicated Friday that Acuna (knee) isn't a given to be ready for Opening Day next season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Anthopoulos noted that the club will be deliberate with Acuna's rehab from left ACL surgery, and while it's possible the outfielder is ready to play by Opening Day, his return could be pushed back as far as early June. Acuna's surgery took place in early June of this year, so he will be a little under 10 months removed from it once the regular season begins in 2025. While a timeline for the 26-year-old is fuzzy now, the picture should be clearer by spring training.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Shifts to 60-day IL
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Atlanta transferred Acuna (knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
The 26-year-old recently underwent season-ending surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, so it was only a matter of time before he was moved to the 60-day IL to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Acuna will have nearly 10 months of recovery and rehab before Opening Day in 2025, so there's a chance he's ready for the start of next season.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Undergoes ACL surgery
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Acuna underwent surgery Wednesday to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The reigning NL MVP had already been ruled out for the season, but Acuna will now be able to begin rehabbing from the injury he suffered May 26. The 26-year-old underwent ACL surgery on his right knee in 2021, so he's familiar with the process. Acuna's injury that year happened in mid-July, not late May, and the difference could allow him to be ready for Opening Day in 2025.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Officially placed on injured list
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Atlanta placed Acuna (knee) on the 10-day injured list Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Acuna suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Sunday's 8-1 win in Pittsburgh and will undergo season-ending surgery in the coming days. He missed the second half of the 2021 season due to a torn ACL in his other knee and is now slated for another lengthy absence. Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall will likely be in line for additional at-bats in the corner outfield with Acuna out, though Atlanta could seek help from outside the organization.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Ruled out for season
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Acuna has been diagnosed with a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
Acuna suffered a non-contact injury while trying to retreat to second base in the top of the first inning during Sunday's game against the Pirates. He missed the second half of the 2021 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee and now faces another lengthy recovery process. Over 48 games in 2024, Acuna slashed .246/.348/.356 with four homers, 38 runs, 16 steals and 15 RBI. Acuna will undergo surgery at an undisclosed date to address his ACL tear, while Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall should see additional playing time as the season progresses.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Could miss four-plus weeks
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Acuna (knee) said Sunday that he wouldn't be surprised if he misses a month, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Acuna told reporters he was going on the 10-day injured list and said the discomfort is more like what he felt in 2018 than what he dealt with in 2021 when he tore his ACL. Acuna had a significant limp as he was moving around the clubhouse after Sunday's game, in which he collapsed in the top of the first inning when trying to go back to second base and needed assistance getting down the dugout stairs. He said he did not hear a pop, but Monday's MRI results still loom large. In Acuna's absence, Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall could play more against same-handed pitchers.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Set to go on IL
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Acuna (knee) told reporters following Sunday's 8-1 win over the Pirates that he will go on the 10-day injured list, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Acuna collapsed in the top of the first inning of Sunday's game after planting his left leg when trying to go back to second base. He exited with trainers following the injury and was helped down the dugout stairs. Acuna noted after the game that it didn't feel like the ACL tear he sustained in his right knee in 2021, which is good news for Atlanta, but the 26-year-old superstar will be sidelined for at least 10 days. Manager Brian Snitker said that the severity of Acuna's injury won't be known until he's evaluated Monday. Acuna is slashing .246/.348/.356 with four home runs, 15 RBI and 16 stolen bases over 191 plate appearances this season.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Leaves game with left knee injury
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Acuna left in the first inning of Sunday's game against the Pirates due to a left knee soreness, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. He doubled in his lone at-bat of the day.
Acuna went down in the top of the first inning Sunday after he planted his left leg trying to go back to second base on a steal attempt. He came off the field limping, though the injury isn't to the same knee that Acuna had surgically repaired in 2021. Jarred Kelenic came off the bench and entered the game in left field, with Adam Duvall shifting over to Acuna's usual spot in right field. Atlanta should have an update on Acuna's condition later Sunday or prior to Monday's series opener with the Nationals.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Records 15th steal
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Acuna went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Cubs.
The steal was Acuna's first since May 4, an unusually long drought without a theft for the speedy outfielder. He was caught on his only attempt over 12 games between steals. Acuna has struggled to get into a rhythm at the plate this season, slashing .247/.355/.351 with three home runs, 12 RBI, 36 runs scored and 15 steals over 203 plate appearances. Some regression from last year's 41-homer, 73-steal campaign was to be expected in 2024, but Acuna's career-low .706 OPS so far has been a brutal overcorrection.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Gets first day off of season
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Acuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Acuna is on the bench for the series finale, but his absence doesn't appear to be anything more than a much-needed maintenance day after he had started in right field in each of Atlanta's first 39 games of the season. Adam Duvall will step in as the starting right fielder in place of Acuna, who is in the midst of a cool stretch at the plate with just four hits in 31 at-bats over his last eight starts.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Finding stride at plate
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Acuna went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Mets.
He took Jose Quintana deep in the third inning, part of a four-run frame for Atlanta. Acuna may be turning things around at the plate -- after posting a 26.5 percent strikeout rate in April, he's fanned just 19.4 percent of the time through the first seven games in May. He's also batting .310 (9-for-29) to begin the month with two of his three homers on the season.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Another multi-hit effort
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Acuna went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 11-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Acuna led off the fourth inning with a single and swiped his 14th bag of the season before coming around to score Atlanta's first run on a single from Austin Riley. The star outfielder would collect two more hits on the night, though his effort fell short as the Dodgers ran away with the win. Acuna has now tallied multiple hits in three straight games to open the month, though he's still sitting on just two home runs for the season. He's also scored at least one run in five of his last six games.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Notches two more thefts
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Acuna went 1-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases Monday in a loss to the Mariners.
Acuna's wheels were key in the production of Atlanta's only run, as the star outfielder began the seventh inning by reaching on an infield single, subsequently stole both second and third base, and came around to score on an Ozzie Albies double. Acuna also struck out three times in the contest, and he's now fanned multiple times in three straight games, but fantasy managers are likely to mostly ignore that as long as he continues to run wild on the basepaths. Acuna began the campaign with just one steal through his first nine games, but he's since racked up 12 steals over his subsequent 18 contests.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Reaches double-digit steals
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Acuna went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Monday's win over the Marlins.
The 26-year-old superstar continues to make an impact from the leadoff spot. Acuna is up to 10 steals on the season in 11 attempts, and he's hit safely in nine of the last 10 games, a stretch in which he's batting .359 (14-for-39) with one homer, two RBI and nine runs scored.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Swipes ninth bag
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Acuna went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Rangers. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch.
Acuna reached on an infield single in his first at-bat and then advanced to second on a Michael Harris single before stealing third. He would be left stranded in the inning but would go on to score Atlanta's second run in the following frame on a sacrifice fly, shortly after being hit by a pitch. Acuna has underwhelmed at the plate in the early campaign with just one home run and six RBI so far, though he's now gone 12-for-37 (.324) over his last 10 games with eight stolen bases and 10 runs scored. He also has five multi-hit games over that stretch.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Finally goes yard
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Acuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Astros.
It took 17 games, but last year's NL MVP finally went deep in 2024, as Acuna got hold of a J.P. France sweeper to lead off the fifth inning and launched it 422 feet to straightaway center field. Despite the slow start in the power department, the 26-year-old has still been very productive from a fantasy perspective, slashing .294/.400/.397 with six RBI, eight steals and 17 runs scored -- third in the Senior Circuit behind Mookie Betts (22) and Ketel Marte (20).
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Nabs two more steals Friday
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Acuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Friday's 8-1 win over the Marlins.
The reigning NL MVP has erupted for five steals in the last three games, giving him six on the season in six attempts. Acuna's still trying to get going at the plate, however, slashing .255/.375/.298 through 12 games while looking for his first homer of 2024.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Runs wild in Tuesday's win
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Acuna went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and three stolen bases in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Mets.
After going eight straight games without even attempting a steal, Acuna broke out on the basepaths, swiping all three bags against the battery of Adrian Houser and backup catcher Omar Narvaez. The reigning NL MVP is batting just .256 (10-for-39) in the early going and is still looking for his first homer of 2024, but Acuna has scored 15 runs in 10 contests while adding four RBI and four stolen bases.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Swipes first bag of 2024
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Acuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.
The minor knee injury Acuna dealt with early in the spring appears to be a non-issue to begin the regular season, and last year's NL MVP singled in his first plate appearance of 2024 before promptly swiping second base. Acuna stole a career-high 73 bases last year to go with his 41 homers, and bad luck on the health front is likely the only thing that might prevent him from posting monster numbers again.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Will play outfield Sunday
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Acuna will start in right field for Atlanta on Sunday for its split-squad game versus the Red Sox, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Acuna returned from his right knee injury in the designated hitter spot Thursday, but this will be his first time playing the outfield since late February. The team and the player seem to have zero concerns at this point about his knee flare-up, so fantasy managers shouldn't have any reservations about clicking Acuna's name at first overall.
