A season removed from his horrific injury, Ronald Acuña is amid the worst slump of his career. However, he finally had a moment last night, breaking through with a two-run homer — his first home run since July 8th. And in typical Acuña fashion, he celebrated with a humorous curtain call at Citi Field.
Lmao Acuña is wild pic.twitter.com/gUPziiK8za
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) August 5, 2022
It had to be a substantial relief for Acuña to watch that ball leave the yard, but I wouldn’t say he’s in the clear just yet. He’s still struggling, and he even admitted after the game that it’s been difficult for him to trust his knee this season.
Ronald Acuña Jr.: “It’s all part of the process & I’m hoping for better days. But I have to say, for example, the knee with my swings, it doesn’t always feel the same. Some days I have confidence in it, some days I don’t feel like I have confidence in it, and it’s not the same."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 5, 2022
It’s brutal to hear that coming directly from Acuña himself, but I think anybody watching can tell he hasn’t been right this season, which is understandable.
Acuña is a 24-year-old coming off of the first significant injury of his career (and hopefully his last). I know Braves fans think he’s superhuman because of everything he’s accomplished at such a young age, but that’s not the case. Every time he sprints for a ball in the outfield or swings for the fences, that play from last season is in the back of his mind, and it’s not something he can control with a simple flip of a switch.
With time, Acuña will learn to trust his surgically repaired knee. Will that happen this year? It feels unlikely at this point, but if the Braves have any chance of repeating as champions, they’ll need their superstar right fielder to regain his form.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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