The Atlanta Braves have been without Ronald Acuña Jr. all season as he has been recovering from an ACL tear. However, his return is around the corner, and a rehab assignment could start soon.
Acuña is expected to start a rehab assignment later this month, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano. The Braves thought Acuña was going to have to see a specialist, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, in Los Angeles, but were surprisingly told this was not necessary.
"On Ronald Acuña Jr.: Braves discussed him seeing Dr. Neal ElAttrache in LA again," Toscano wrote on X. "But the Braves talked to ElAttrache today and the doctor said he doesn’t need to see Acuña, and that a rehab assignment start date is up to the Braves. Rehab assignment will begin this month."
Acuña signed an eight-year, $100 million extension with the Braves in 2019. He won the National League MVP Award in 2023 when he hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases. The Braves started the season off 0-7, and many thought even Acuña could not save them.
However, now the team is 15-18, and showing signs of life. Getting Acuña back should be a huge boost to their offense. It's unclear how electric he will be on the basepaths following his second ACL injury. However, after he tore his ACL in 2021, he ended up leading the league in stolen bases just two seasons later.
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He is a four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger. The Braves will not want to rush his recovery, but they cannot get him back soon enough. He could be the missing piece in getting things turned around and making the Braves a National League contender again.
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