Injuries have been the story of the Braves 2024 campaign, with the latest victim being Austin Riley, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a fractured wrist. He joins a long list of star players that have missed at least a month this year, the most notable being Ronald Acuña Jr, who tore his ACL over Memorial Day weekend for the second time in his career.
The Braves star hasn’t been around the club much since then, but he did make the trip to Los Angeles to be with the team over the weekend, meeting with reporters for the first time in quite a while, and he said something very notable regarding his approach in returning to the field. Acuña is going to be much more cautious this time around. He’s not going to force it like he did in 2022, making sure he’s 100% before coming back.
“In 2022, I felt desperate to play. This go-around, I am going to try and make sure I am at 100% before going out there.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. stopped by Angel Stadium to reunite with his teammates and provide an update on how he is feeling⤵️ pic.twitter.com/eHuyc2pc2u
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 18, 2024
It typically takes around 8-12 months for athletes to recover from a torn ACL. In Ronald’s case, he tore his ACL in July of 2021 and was playing in games for the Braves in late April of 2022. However, he was a shell of the player he was prior to the injury, setting career lows in every major offensive statistic. He wasn’t bad by any means, but a year later, he set the league on fire with a historic 40/70 season on his way to his first NL MVP award.
Given Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL much earlier this season than he did in 2021, a similar timeline puts him on track to be ready for Opening Day. However, it sounds like that’s far from a guarantee. His plan is to be patient, and going off everything that’s happened this season, I think I speak for all of Braves Country when I say, “Take all the time you need.”
Ronald Acuña Jr. isn’t just the face of the Braves, he’s one of the faces of baseball. The game isn’t the same when he isn’t a part of it, and everybody is hoping he can bounce back again and put together some more history in the future, no matter how long it takes him to recover.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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