It has now been over three months since Ronald Acuna Jr.’s season came to a tragic end. It was July 10th that the Atlanta superstar left the game after tearing his ACL while attempting to make a leaping catch on a Jazz Chisholm fly ball. Last night, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an interview with Acuna, the first time he has spoken to the media since that day. Through team interpreter Franco Garcia, Acuna spoke on various subjects related to the injury, the intervening months, as well as the future.
When asked about his current status, Acuna said he is “maybe 70%,” and then gave more details about the next steps. “I think the plan is to start jogging maybe around November and December. And you know, sort of just light activities like that, and then maybe around January or February start doing baseball activities. But that’s all (for) the trainers (to decide).”
When asked about whether he would be back in April or May, Acuna again deferred to the team’s medical staff. “If the trainers say May, then May. If the trainers say April, then April. So really, whatever the trainers and doctors and team medical staff say.”
A healthy Acuna would be great for baseball and the club next year, as he is one of the most talented players in the league. Before the injury, Acuna was in the midst of a fourth-consecutive excellent season that was on pace to be his best. Through 82 games, he hit 24 home runs and stole 17 bases, putting up a slash line of .283/.394/.596, for a wRC+ of 157 and 4.2 fWAR. As part of the extension he signed with the club in 2019, Acuna is under contract with Atlanta through 2026, with a pair of club options for 2027 and 2028.
After his injury, Atlanta made a series of trades to totally remake their outfield, acquiring Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. Those four helped the club surge to an NL East title and into the NLCS, where they currently hold a 2-0 series lead over the Dodgers. However, three out of those four are heading into free agency in a few weeks, with Duvall the only one still under team control for 2022, meaning that Acuna’s status is incredibly important for the team’s plans going forward. (Pederson has a mutual option, which rarely ends up being exercised by both parties. Duvall also has a mutual option but can be retained via arbitration if the option is not picked up.) If the outlook continues along the trajectory Acuna laid out, it bodes very well for both the club and the sport.
u r irrelevant.
Shut up
W
Oh no so scary
John Mac, do you wake up every morning and say that to yourself? You should have a more positive outlook on life.
POV you can’t eat cereal right.
Definitely puts the milk before the bowl
he doesn’t even have milk, cuz he’s fatherless.
When people make mean spirited comments such as, “he’s fatherless”, do they feel better about themselves? Did you type that and think, yeah, that comment will really show him? I saw you trolling an another post 5555. You need some help my friend. Having the personality you have, will not work out well for you. Peace be with you.
I was talking to the person who said u r irrelevant, plus wtf are you talking about. Why don’t you make that message to johnmac cuz I’m defending the person that made this article.
3 games in and neither Ynoa or Smyly pitching yet at all. Braves have one thing going for them today. Urias threw 14 pitches in relief on Sunday so it’s doubtful he goes deep into the game. It seems Strider at the very least would have been a better option over Camargo who’s managed to do nothing but strikeout. Roberts is massively taxing his whole pitching staff so far and Snitker is relying heavily on Matzek/Chavez/Jackson/Smith. Matzek has been great but I doubt he pitches tonight. I still think the Braves can win this series, but it’s obvious the Dodgers playbook is steal bases and they have roughly 4 guys that can do it. At the very least I hope the coaches/manager tell the pitchers to at least hold the ball a little longer to try to even have a chance to catch these guys or keep them from trying.
Obviously the Braves don’t need him and should dealt to the Cubs for Jason Heyward.
Cubs get a superstar player and Braves get a very good defensive RF and no need to look at the rest.
I mean why settle for just Acuna? The Cubs could CLEARLY fetch Trout, Ohtani, Tatis Jr and Vlad Jr. for Heyward. I know they’re on different teams but no need to look at the rest.
I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but I know a few guys on the inside and a Trout for Heyward has been discussed. I may have said too much.
I don’t know if anyone noticed but Jacob Webb looks very similar to Jacob deGrom.
Do you think the Mets will you know…..let the Braves borrow deGrom for the rest of the season? I’m sure 50% of him is better than Ynoa and his two pitches.
Asking for a friend!
deGrom may be toast. I’d take my chances with Ynoa at this point. Next year’s another story, but right now the Braves are fine.
We said the same last year!
And you were fine last year too. Can’t win all the time.
Difference compared to last year we are deeper; last year when Duvall got hurt we knew we were in trouble.
Wow Acuna’s head must be huge knowing it takes 4 other guys to replace him. !!
The Braves have an option on Pederson.
Mutual option isn’t it?
That’s what reading the article seems to indicate.
Be interesting if the Braves pick up the option with Adam Duvall as a lock to come back Acuna ready at some point early next year Drew Waters and Christian Pache still around and the need for a legitimate center fielder not sure if there is room for Pederson
I think the Braves will try to bring back Duvall and Soler. The NL will likely have the DH, after all. They could bring back Pederson or Rosario as well, since Acuna won’t play until after the season starts.
I hope the Braves retain Pederson. The guy plays big when you need it. It’d probably be a mistake to go into the year assuming Pache and Waters will claim jobs.
I don’t believe Soler comes back unless Ozuna’s salary can be off-loaded, and I doubt it can. Duvall has a decent sized arbitration figure projected, coupled with what they’ll have to pay Ozuna and they have a decent amount of money in the OF. I think Soler is going to fetch a decent contract, too.
Plus they need to extend Freddie.
Ozuna won’t be playing, and Acuna won’t be ready at the start, so the Braves will still need at least two outfielders and a DH. They control Heredia for several years and he’ll be cheap, but he’s the least capable offensively.
I’m not into the idea of keeping Heredia. I’d sooner see them play Duvall in CF, Rosario in LF and Pederson in RF. If there is a DH, they could rotate Duvall and Pederson at DH to spell them with Pache getting reps early in the OF. When RAJ comes back you figure it out from there.
I agree Ozuna won’t be playing, but the Braves will still be paying for him not to.
@Outlaw: Agree on all counts. Ozuna is a sunk cost, at least after he’s reinstated. I believe he’ll be suspended for a good portion of 2022, so the Braves won’t pay him for those days.
Ozuna could very well be playing now that he’s cleared up his legal issues. I don’t think the Braves have enough recourse to void his deal so they may be forced to bring him back regardless of public opinion (and once any suspension has been served). Fans will be upset at first but if he gets off to a big start, fan’s memories will be real short.
The other option would be to trade Ozuna for Bauer…one dirtbag for another dirtbag.
I wonder if the Braves and Dodgers would consider a swap of Ozuna for Bauer. You don’t really want either of them but both teams have to have 1 and a change of scenery could help them. My guess is they both get suspended for at least half of next season without pay. It would cost the Braves more in the immediate future but Bauer is also probably the better player. The Braves will actually save money in the long term and get to walk away from the mess a lot sooner. Bauer makes whatever the prorated portion of his $45 next season. Then will make $17 million in 2023 and then be gone after that. Ozuna will make the prorated portion of $18 million next season but then $18M again in 2023 and then $18M again in 2024. It hurts the Braves payroll next season but helps them every year after that. It helps the Dodgers payroll next season but they just have to keep Ozuna around for 1 year longer than they would Bauer. Plus, Bauer gets out of LA and Ozuna gets out of Atlanta. I think Bauer has the worse personality of the 2 but he also brings the most talent in return. You also won’t have to put up with Bauer as long as you would Ozuna. I’m not exactly sure what the Braves are thinking with Ozuna but I can guarantee you Bauer will never suit up with the Dodgers again. Neither he nor the Dodgers even acknowledge the other even exists anymore. The Braves still at least acknowledge Ozuna still exists and his charges have been dropped so low that he won’t get any jail time at all. The fact the judge and prosecutor threw out the felony charge after watching the video could only have helped Ozuna’s case. It probably didn’t help enough for Atlanta to really want to keep him though. If I’m the Braves I’m looking for whichever deal gets me out of the situation as soon as possible while not just having to pay the player to not play. That’s what would happen if they cut him. If I’m gonna pay I want to pay for the shortest time possible and still get as much production out of the deal as possible even if that production comes in the form of another player.
Ozuna will be suspended at least for part of next season, and quite possibly all of it.
Heck no!
I’d be less disappointed if they took on Wil Myers, and I *don’t* want them to take on Wil Myers. Bauer is abrasive in addition to the well known bad issue they share.
I get what you’re trying to do with the money, but no… just no.
Bauer’s situation is a lot worse. I’d bet money he never plays baseball again.
I don’t like Pederson or Duvall as a regular CF in that huge park. They may give Pache another chance to win the job in ST or hit the trade market. Heredia— nice insurance policy and fine swordsman. But with RAJ recovering from this injury they need a better everyday option for CF.
Peterson’s option should be to mix in a salad.
Braves had a legitimate chance to knock off LA even before going up 2-0. They have starting pitchers who can win a game all by themselves & power hitters up & down the lineup/bench. & home runs have been so important this postseason.
Seems like a positive update on Acuna. Any chance he will ever have a 40/40 year?
Braves have a really good chance a lot of the Los Angeles media said they dodgers were going sweep Atlanta. Now the big talk is why are the dodgers using their bullpen so much and starters out of normal routine. Reading that Max has a dead arm and may not pitch again this series
It obviously depends on his ACL recovery. Before the injury, I’d have said his chances of 40/40 were very high, almost a lock.
Losing Soler hurts, but every player in this lineup has a chance to go off. You couldn’t have said that about the Braves last year. They were very top-heavy. This year, only D’Arnaud (injury), Pederson (platoon/bench) and Rosario (injury) had fewer than 27 home runs for the season.
@bhambrave –
Thanks.
You guys must be stoked, man! By process of elimination it’s “Go Bravos!” for me.
One of the few real “firsts” – of my lifetime – as far as statistics goes was when Canseco went 40/40. As such I’ve always been fascinated by those players/seasons. Plenty of NFL RB’s have come back from ACL surgery with their speed intact. Acuna is still just a kid & may recover fully.
Hope so. Good player. Fun player too.
Go Braves!
We’re stoked, but we also remember last year. Braves fans are reluctant to count the chickens before they’re hatched. Fourteen straight division titles and only one WS win in that span will do that.
The speed is the one aspect of Acuna’s game that I’m concerned this will impact. Even if he turns into a 40/20 guy or a 40/15 guy, he’ll still be immensely valuable, however
Um, “tragic” doesn’t strike me as the correct term to use. That should be reserved for if someone dies or has a disease/ health issue that prevents them from playing forever. Even then Inwouldnt necessarily think of anything that happens in sport as a tragedy, especially when people are getting shot in Chicago every day and there are wars ongoing throughout the world. This was certainly unfortunate, but tragic seems a little overblown. At least to me…
Most already have proper context that you don’t need to constantly throw out the disclaimer “only just a game”. Within the context of baseball – this is MLBTR remember – Acuna suffered a possibly career-altering injury, not unlike someone getting beaned in the head or a comebacker to the mound. I’d think “devastating” could also be used, but that’s just me.
No need to state the obvious – he’s a strong young kid with immense talent and wealth and will do well for himself regardless of how the cookie crumbles.
@rememberthecoop – We need to stop trying to read into these articles for more than they are or questioning the use of a particular adjective chosen by the writer. If you can overlook these issues, you’ll enjoy this site much more.
If Braves get to the WS without Acuna feel free to trade Acuna to the Yankees
He’ll NEVER wear pinstripes, book it. Screw the yankees
I’d like to see that entire outfield back especially if there’s a DH. May be too costly.
I really want to see Pache start game 3. The Braves are winning the series 2-0. They need their defense to be sharp and at this point, Duvall is not cutting it offensively. They can’t remove Joc or Ros.
I wouldn’t take Pache over Duval. Kid is not ready.
Not ready for what? He is out there to play defense. His offense cannot be any worse than Duvall’s strikeouts and non-competitive at-bats. At least with Pache, the Braves know they will have a better defense at CF.
Duvall led league in RBI’s and up there in HR’s. He will get it going and needs the ab’s to do so. By the time this is over he WILL have some big hits.
What do you think about Duvall now? Big RBI to tie it up in the 4th!!!!!
Now if only Albies stops missing pitches down the middle because he is trying to hit homeruns.
Just the presence of Duval there. Dude is in a slide right now I agree. But he led the league in RBI’s and had 38 bombs. That is the number 6 or 7 hitter. I get the defense side of it but he hasn’t been terrible out there either.
Duval hast been terrible out in center. Remember, dude was the RBI leader in the NL and had 38 bombs. Those numbers from your 6 or 7 hitter. He is in a slide right now I will admit but that power potential brings more to the table than Pache’s defense.
I was at the Brewers NLDS games and he put up some decent at bats against some pretty good pitchers. Remember people they are going up against the best teams and the best pitchers in the NL. Heck look at Freeman right now. 2020 MVP, 300 hitter and he strikes out 7 times in a row to start the NLCS. Imagine if he and a few others put some things together. Team is dangerous!!!
Out of those 4 guys AA must make Rosario the priority. Rosario is more consistent, he’s quicker in the outfield, he can steal bases, he can hit home runs, and he also gives you good AB”s. as he’s a good contact hitter, and he’s also a LH Bat that can hit lefties well. Rosario, Soler, Pederson, all similar age 30 or 29 and a half +, Duvall is 33, what sort of contract are you going to give Duvall? I love the guy, but if I had to choose, I am keeping Rosario 1st and Soler 2nd, but I suppose it depends on what plays out with Ozuna. Duvall was excellent with RISP this year and you need a power bat behind Riley. There’s a lot of things to consider.
Get a win in LA. It’s hard to beat Ferris Buehler.
Here we go again. Braves being Braves. Wonder if Bellinger knew a fastball was coming?
Still 2-1 but this is the game you will look back at if/when they blow the series again.
Also, why do the Dodgers tier 2 and 3 arms in the bullpen pitch like Cy youngs? The Braves need to switch the lineup around.
Play Pache and move Albies down.
Got to win today Braves Country!!!
@bravesnc. I agree. I still am in shock they managed to lose last night. Judging off the article I just read on mlb.com it appears the Braves might use a combo of Minter/Ynoa/Smyly today….