The Acuña Vigil: Braves’ Measured Approach to Star’s Recovery Signals a Calculated Gamble, Balancing Playoff Aspirations with Long-Term Championship Ambitions
The Atlanta Braves’ star outfielder, Ronald Acuña Jr., has come a long way in his rehab. But as he approaches the finish line, it serves as a reminder that all parties involved need to be patient.
“As far as at-bats, he’s probably ready to go right now,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said on Foul Territory. “But there’s things with the leg and the knee that they need to check all the boxes on.”
A lot goes into making sure a torn ACL is fully recovered, especially when Acuña is trying to not just bat, but run the bases and play in the field. Now that they have lost him long-term twice, it’s all about making sure he’s healthy so they get the superstar version of him.
“We just got to take our time and be patient, because when we get him back, we want to get him back whole,” Snitker said. We want him to stay out there on the field every day.”
The Braves lost Acuña at the end of May last season due to his second torn ACL injury. The first time, it was his right knee, and then his left knee. In a weird, twisted way, he got lucky this was the first surgery for each knee. Each succeeding surgery on a knee isn’t always as successful.
So, they’re taking their time. It’ll be worth it when they have their star back in full form.
“It’s gonna energize the whole club when we get him back out there,” Snitker said.”
Fangraphs currently projects that Acuña will slash .293/.380/.512 with 27 home runs and 76 RBIs over 132 games. He’s expected to cut down on the number of bases he steals once he’s back to stay healthy. It hasn’t stopped the projections from saying he’ll swipe 46 bags.
Even if it’s just 20 bags, or let’s be real, even if it’s zero, those stats at the plate are enough of a boost to help spark the lineup.
