The Atlanta Braves will be without star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. for the foreseeable future.
Acuna is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, and the hope was that he’d be able to return soon. However, ahead of the Braves’ home game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, manager Walt Weiss gave a concerning update on Acuna.
“Walt Weiss says Ronald Acuña Jr. is still “a ways out.” Says he is progressing but still some time before we see him,” Aaron Schmidt wrote on X.
Acuna could be activated off the injured list on Wednesday, but he won’t be activated then, and it could be quite some time longer.
It’s a blow to the Braves’ offense as Acuna is a key part of the roster, but Atlanta is making sure he’s 100 percent healthy before returning.
Acuna is hitting .252 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs this season in 127 at-bats. The star outfielder is a five-time MLB All-Star and was named NL MVP in 2023.
Acuna Dealing With Grade 1 Strain
The Braves placed Acuna on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
After Atlanta made the move, Weiss said Acuna was dealing with a Grade 1 strain, which isn’t serious. However, he’d be forced to miss some time, so for the roster, the Braves thought putting him on the injured list made the most sense.
“The MRI showed a Grade 1 strain, so not too serious, but serious enough that we had to put him on the list,” Weiss said before Sunday’s series finale. “It’s not going to be just a couple days. It’s gonna be more than that, so we need to put him on the IL, and hopefully it’ll be sooner than later. No idea with these soft tissue injuries how long they’re gonna take, but I think the silver lining is that the MRI showed it wasn’t too serious.”
Acuna got hurt on Saturday when he hopped halfway to first on one foot, and Weiss knew something bad had happened.
“It didn’t look great — whenever a player pulls up like that, you think the worst,” Weiss said. “But all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.”
The Braves selected the contract of Jose Azocar from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill Acuna’s spot on the roster.
“He’s swinging well,” Weiss said of Azocar. “José is a pro. He’s obviously been a big leaguer before, a very good defender. Runs really well, and he’s having a good year swinging the bat, so he’ll give you a pro at-bat. He’s a nice piece to have.”
Braves Place Sean Murphy on IL
Along with the Acuna news, Atlanta announced that catcher Sean Murphy was placed on the IL with a fractured left middle finger.
In a corresponding move, the Braves signed 37-year-old catcher Sandy León to serve as some catching depth while Murphy is out for quite some time.
Murphy is hitting .071 in 14 at-bats this season, as he just returned from an injury. Leon, meanwhile, won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
As for the Braves, Atlanta is off to a 28-13 start and atop the NL East.
Braves Get Concerning Injury Update on Ronald Acuna Jr. Ahead of Cubs Game