The Braves have had a plan in place for Ronald Acuña’s return for a while now, but slowly and surely, that plan has gone out the window. Initially, he wasn’t supposed to make his 2022 debut until May 6th, but after checking all the boxes in Gwinnett, Alex Anthopoulos surprised him on FaceTime and informed him that he would be reactivated from the IL ten days earlier.
Last night, Acuña played in right field and batted leadoff for the Braves, showing no signs of the torn ACL he suffered last July. In fact, he almost looked more impressive in some ways. Sure, he finished the night with just one hit in five at-bats, but he stole two bases and appeared as comfortable as ever in right field. After the game, Acuña spoke about his speed, which had to be a concern coming off a torn ACL. Instead, he thinks he’s even faster than before the injury.
Acuña said if there’s one area of his game that might be better now than before the injury it’s his speed, because of his focus on strengthening his legs and all the running drills since knee surgery.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 28, 2022
On all fronts, Acuña seems to be 100%, which is to be expected. The Braves wouldn’t have let him touch the field if there was even the slightest chance of re-injury. However, the organization still plans to take things slowly with him. After traveling with the team to Texas, Acuña will not play in the series opener against the Rangers, despite him making it clear to the team and the media he wants to be on the field every night.
It won't be easy for the Braves to convince Acuña he's not ready to play on an everyday basis. Tonight, he said, “I don’t know who said the plan was for me not to play. The way I’m looking at it is that I’m playing tomorrow. So, I guess we’ll see what happens.”
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 29, 2022
Acuña seemed to be just playing around like most players would. But to make sure, the Braves told him again tonight he won't play tomorrow. https://t.co/cktnLn8KGy
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 29, 2022
The Braves doctors know much more than any of us, so if this is what they believe is best, I understand easing Acuña back into things. Still, if things continue to trend in this direction, it won’t be long before all the plans go out the window, and Acuña is back to playing every day.
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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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