Ronald Acuna Jr. delivered again on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. The Atlanta Braves right fielder went 1-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored.
His two-run shot off Cubs starter Kevin Gausman came in the sixth inning. It cut the deficit to one run, 3-2, and sparked a late rally. The Braves rallied to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3.
It was Acuna’s 18th home run of the season. Over his last 18 games, he has hit .366 with five home runs and a 1.066 OPS. This season, he is batting .254 with 18 homers, 49 RBIs and a .447 slugging mark in 99 games.
The victory improved Atlanta to 89-63. It also extended the Braves’ NL East lead over the Philadelphia Phillies to 5 1/2 games.
On Wednesday, Acuna turned the spotlight off the field. The 2018 NL Rookie of the Year announced a new venture.
Ronald Acuna Launches New Podcast
iHeartMedia’s My Cultura and Rimas Sports announced the launch of “La Bestia with Ronald Acuna Jr.” on Wednesday.
The Spanish-language podcast gives fans an inside look at Acuna’s life and career.
My Cultura is iHeartMedia’s podcast network for Latino voices and stories. Rimas Sports is a sports management and brand partnerships agency co-founded by Bad Bunny.
Acuna hosts the show and sits down with friends, family and real-life heroes. Episodes explore Latino identity through family, hustle, music, pressure and pride. Each episode traces the origin story behind his rise to stardom.
The show marks the first from a new content partnership. The Puerto Rican agency will co-produce original podcasts with My Cultura going forward.
Acuna’s father appears in the debut episode. Upcoming guests include musician Guaynaa and MLB players Luisangel Acuna, Gleyber Torres, Maikel Garcia and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Internet personality Marko Terzo and mentalist Michel Gallero are also set to appear, among others.
The first episode became available Wednesday, September 16, 2026. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.
Braves’ Pitching Staff Takes Another Hit
Atlanta’s rotation also made news during the Cubs series. Right-hander Reynaldo López exited early in Monday’s series opener. He allowed five runs on six hits over three innings in a 7-3 loss.
The Braves placed López on the 15-day injured list Tuesday. The move was due to inflammation in his right shoulder. López was 4-5 with a 4.54 ERA in 26 games this season.
It marked his second injured list stint in just over a month. The move likely ends his season and rules him out of the wild card series.
Atlanta recalled right-hander J.R. Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace him. Ritchie, 23, made his major league debut in April.
He entered Wednesday 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 14 appearances. He started the series finale against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Announces Personal News on Wednesday