Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. completely tore his left ACL during today's game, as the Braves announced after an MRI tonight. Acuna will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
Acuna was leading second base in the first inning of Atlanta's 8-1 win over the Pirates today when he faked a steal on his way to third. However, Acuna's left leg twisted under him and he fell to the ground in obvious pain. Speaking to reporters after the game, Acuna said he did not feel his knee and expressed the hope that he might miss a month if his knee was loose, but unfortunately the MRI has revealed a very serious condition. to the outfielder.
This is the biggest knee surgery of Acuna's career, as he previously tore his right ACL on July 10, 2021. He was able to return to action sooner than expected and returned to the Braves' roster at the end of April 2022, although he was unsuccessful. 'appeared to be back in full form, as Acuna hit a very difficult .266/.351/.413 in 533 plate appearances that season.
With a full regular season to prepare and recover in the winter of 2022-23, Acuna turned in not only his best season, but one of the best full-year seasons in sports history. Acuna was the unanimous choice as the NL MVP after hitting .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers and 73 stolen bases (in 87 attempts). This made Acuna the first player to ever have a 40-50 season, not to mention establish the 40-60 and 40-70 clubs to start.
That kind of season would be a tough act to follow for anyone, but Acuna was hitting just .246/.348/356 over 221 PA heading into what ended up being his final game of the 2024 campaign. Acuna's hit rate was still above average but well below his career norms, and both his home runs (four) and his overall power numbers dropped significantly. He's back to his pre-2023 free-swinging ways, after being one of baseball's hardest hitters last season.
Now we won't know if Acuna could start in a pinch, as he faces another brutal absence from the Braves' roster. Since Acuna has a complete tear in his ACL, his recovery figures will be on the long side of the typical 7-10 months for such surgery. This would still put him in a position to return by Opening Day 2025, though it seems possible that Acuna and the Braves may be exploring a longer rehab this time around since this is Acuna's second ACL tear, and because his early return in 2022 seemed like it would be. the result was nagging knee pain and his relatively lackluster numbers.
More will be known about Acuna's recovery timeline in the coming weeks and months, but the bottom line is that the news hurts all sides of Acuna, the Braves, and MLB itself in the loss of its signature star. Acuna doesn't turn 27 until December, but while he still has plenty of time to continue developing what appears to be a worthy career in Cooperstown, it's anyone's guess whether he'll be able to regain his old form after ACL surgery. on both knees.
The Braves overcame Acuna's previous ACL injury to launch an improbable run at the 2021 World Series crown. Atlanta opted to double down on its bid to stay in the playoff race by adding four outfielders (Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pedersonagain Adam Duvall) before the trade deadline, and the entire quartet stepped up to help carry the team through the rest of the regular season and into the postseason. Soler even won World Series MVP honors and Rosario the NLCS MVP, solidifying Alex Anthopoulos' decision to reload instead of sitting out the season after losing Acuna.
With this in mind, it's impossible to say whether Acuna's latest injury will end Atlanta's chances in 2024, even if president of baseball operations Anthopoulos is now faced with another tricky way to build a championship team. Although the Braves are six games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead, Atlanta's 30-20 record gives them a comfortable five-game lead over the top NL wild card spot, and it looks like a return to the postseason is in the cards. This is despite mediocre seasons from most Braves rosters (save Marcell Ozuna again Travis d'Arnaud), Sean Murphy missed almost the entire season with an oblique strain, and the ace of the staff Spencer Strider his end-of-season surgery with an internal grafting procedure.
With the Braves still in the hunt for 2021 despite a sub-.500 record at the start of August, it's clear they'll still be in contention for a title now given their team-record payroll and one of baseball's most enviable collections of talent. Jarred Kelenic again Adam Duvall they've been splitting time at left tackle so they can switch to right tackle for now, or Atlanta could just stick with left tackle and look to find another full-time position on the trade market. Striking early in a trade would be costly for Anthopoulos, however he could look to replicate 2021 by adding more outfielders in low-level deals.
If the Braves really wanted to get the team back together, Rosario (now with the Nationals) figures to be available as a deadline hire and Pederson could be the same if the Diamondbacks can't get back into contention. In terms of interior help, Atlanta's tendency to rarely rest starters means that Acuna, Kelenic, Duvall, Michael Harris IIand (with one inning in right field) Forrest Wall they were the only players to find work in the Braves outfield all season. wall, JP Martinezagain Luke Williams all are in Triple-A and on the 40-man roster, as well Eli White again The Skye Bolt are among the few other Triple-A outfield options with Major League experience. A newly discovered user Zack Short He also found time at outside corner during his career and figures to be part of the mix.
While there will be no shortage of trade speculation surrounding the Braves heading into the July 30 deadline, the plain truth is that there is no way to truly replace Acuna, at least in 2024. Losing Acuna this season puts more pressure on Atlanta's other bats to follow suit, as well as on the club's pitching staff to continue their solid work. The Braves' bid for a seventh straight division title is already in jeopardy thanks to the Phillies' hot start, and without Acuna, it will be very difficult for the Braves to get back to the World Series.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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