Ronald Acuña Jr. was unable to finish Tuesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Atlanta Braves star fouled off a pitch that struck the inside of his left leg.
The outfielder looked like he was trying to walk it off, but he couldn’t get past it and went down on the field. A trainer came out, and it looked like Acuña was in a lot of pain. He left the field, was pulled from the game, and was replaced by Brewer Hicklen.
Acuña missed time earlier this season due to a hamstring strain. He initially sustained the injury in May and then aggravated it again in early June. This caused him to miss more than a month and a half of action, and he didn’t return until July 27.
The good news is that the Braves have already clinched both a postseason berth and the NL East title. The bad news is that if this injury is serious enough that Acuña needs to be added to the IL, any stint would affect his availability for Atlanta’s first playoff series.
If Acuña is indeed sidelined for part of the Braves’ playoff run, it would not be the first time he has missed out. The outfielder tore his ACL in July 2021, months before the Braves went on to win the World Series over the Houston Astros.
The 28-year-old is the face of Atlanta’s lineup, serving as the leadoff hitter. This season, he has played in 103 games and is slashing /260/.352/.463 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
Acuña is three years removed from a dominant 2023 campaign where he tallied 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases for the first 40-70 season in MLB history.
The Braves have five more regular season games before the playoffs begin next week. If Acuña is sidelined, Atlanta will have to shuffle around its lineup, likely playing catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in the same lineup with one as the DH. This would free up Mike Yastrzemski to take over in right field, but the Braves could also go with Hicklen or Dominic Smith as well.
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