The Braves have been without their two best players for pretty much the entire season, with Spencer Strider making just one start before joining Ronald Acuna Jr. back on the injured list.
Even still, the club has managed to fight all the way back to close to .500 ball following an 0-7 start, thanks mostly to a lineup that’s gotten red-hot over the last three weeks.
Since that 0-7 start, the Braves offense ranks near or at the top of every major offensive statistic. It’s a promising trend, but the likes of Eli White, Nick Allen, and Alex Verdugo aren’t going to stay this hot for very much longer. The Braves need their big dogs back in Strider and Acuña. Unfortunately, Brian Snitker didn’t have any positive updates on his two star players.
There is currently no timetable for either to return. Spencer Strider has begun playing catch after suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain, and there is no rehab assignment set for Ronald Acuna Jr.
Braves manager Brian Snitker says that P Spencer Strider is playing catches but there’s no timetable to return from the hamstring injury. He also says that OF Ronald Acuña Jr. is down in Florida continuing to rehab his knee injury. pic.twitter.com/fjSbwmdsbs
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) May 2, 2025
“Speaking of the injury front, the Braves haven’t set a specific timetable for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote in his latest newsletter. “But the 2023 NL MVP could return to Atlanta’s lineup by the end of May. Though possibly still a few weeks away, this provides another reason to be optimistic about where the Braves are heading.”
The Braves are going to take it slow with both of them because they need them in October more than in June. This club is good enough to keep its head above water for now, but the Braves will only go as far as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider take them.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
