Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t played a game since June 9. The Braves have been hanging around without him, but they haven’t exactly looked like the powerhouse everyone expected. Now it sounds like he’s just about ready to go.
Manager Walt Weiss told reporters Thursday that Acuña will get a quick tune-up in the minors before rejoining the big league club. He’s expected to play one or two games with Triple-A Gwinnett, then be back with Atlanta by the weekend. That’s the plan, anyway. The team hasn’t confirmed an exact return date yet, but the timeline is tight.
Acuña went down with a hamstring strain during a game against the Cubs back in June. Before that, he was putting together a solid season: .251/.373/.471 with seven homers, 22 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. That’s not quite the MVP-level numbers we’ve seen from him before, but he’s still one of the most dangerous players in the league when he’s healthy. His combination of power and speed is rare, and the Braves have missed that presence in the middle of the lineup.
The division race tightened up fast
Atlanta got off to a hot start in the NL East. The Phillies stumbled early, the Mets cratered, and it looked like the Braves might run away with it. But baseball doesn’t work that way most of the time. The Phillies hired Don Mattingly as interim manager and climbed to within 4.5 games. The Nationals, of all teams, turned into one of the best hitting clubs in baseball and pulled to 8.5 games back. The Marlins are right there with them at 52-51.
So yeah, the Braves let a few teams back in. But getting Acuña back changes the math. He’s not just a bat in the lineup. He changes how pitchers approach the whole order. And on the bases, he’s a constant threat to steal or take an extra bag. That kind of pressure wears on a defense over a series.
What’s next for Atlanta
The Braves just took three of four from the Padres at home. They head to Baltimore for a three-game series starting Friday night, then hit the road to face the Mets. If Acuña is back by this weekend, that Orioles series might be his first action with the big club since June. Baltimore’s pitching has been solid this year, so it won’t be an easy welcome-back spot.
Weiss didn’t get into specifics about how many innings Acuña might play in Gwinnett or whether he’ll be on any kind of pitch count when he returns. But the fact that he’s even at this stage is a good sign. Hamstring injuries are tricky and the Braves have been cautious with him. They need him down the stretch, not just for a week in July.
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