The Atlanta Braves will be playing for their playoff lives on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Atlanta will need Ronald Acuna Jr. to step up in a way that he simply hasn’t so far in this postseason.
There are a bunch of factors at play that could be attributed to Acuna’s struggles, but in one particular area, he’s had a real rough go of it.
The ABS challenge system, when a hitter can challenge a called strike in the hopes of it getting overturned to a ball, has been Acuna’s nemesis.
Ronald Acuna Jr. ABS Problem
This problem isn’t just in the playoffs.
When Acuna loses a challenge, he loses the at bat.
According to Andrew Groover, Acuna has had 14 called strikes this season that he challenged unsuccessfully.
Those plate appearances might as well be a wash for Acuna: He’s 0-for-14 in those plate appearances.
The challenges weren’t all on the final pitch, but something about the ABS seems to get to him.
Groover added that Acuna has used eight of those challenges before the sixth inning with no one on base — generally low-leverage situations.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has unsuccessfully challenged 14 called strikes this season, including the postseason.
In those 14 plate appearances, he’s gone 0-for-14.
Seven of them ended in strikeouts.
— Andrew Groover (@APGroover) October 7, 2026
One fan wondered in the replies whether ABS might’ve “ruined” Acuna:
@APGroover @BFinn86 Starting to think ABS ruined him. Somebody reboot his OS now!!!
— Jonathan Brown (@jonbrown89) October 7, 2026
It’s obviously costly for a team to lose challenges, particularly early in games. You get two incorrect challenges for a game, so once one goes wrong, a team is much less likely to use another in the early going.
Acuna doesn’t miss every pitch he challenges, to be clear. He just hasn’t made the most of any at bat in which he misses a challenge, and he has had at least a few challenges that were probably less than ideal.
Ronald Acuna Jr. Playoff Stats
Not just because of challenges, but Acuna has had a really rough postseason for the Braves.
Through six games, he’s 3-for-21 — that’s a .143 batting average. All three hits are singles.
He has stolen three bases, walked four times, struck out four times and scored four runs.
Acuna has yet to drive in a run.
His last playoff appearance was 2023, and he actually batted .143 then, too.
The Braves’ most recent World Series win came in 2021, and Acuna wasn’t even healthy enough to play in that postseason.
All of that can change in one key moment, though — if Acuna can find himself at the right time.
Braves Have Ronald Acuña Jr. Problem