The Atlanta Braves have been among the best teams in all of Major League Baseball this season, and with a record of 46-26, they sit firmly at the top of the National League East. They’ve done this despite dealing with several injuries, and even with the All-Star Game approaching, the Braves continue to battle and play well despite missing several of their most important players.
As of late though, the struggles have begun with the injuries mounting, and with two of their best players out of the lineup, Braves fans have been waiting patiently for an update on their key stars.
Ronald Acuna Jr. Remains out for the Braves
GettyRonald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves.
Perhaps their most important player is Ronald Acuna Jr., who returned in 2025 to great success after playing in just 49 games the season before, but apparently, he simply can’t escape the injury bug. This past week, Acuna Jr. was officially placed on the Injured List by the Braves as he deals with a left hamstring issue, but at the time, it wasn’t deemed major, with the team placing him on the 10-day IL.
That left many optimistic that he could return to the Braves lineup soon, and after missing the past five games (with the team going 1-4 in that time), fans were hoping to see their superstar outfielder return very, very soon. Unfortunately, nothing official had come through for some time in Atlanta, and with the 10-day stint on the IL expected to end this weekend, the team have now lifted the lid on the situation.
Ronald Acuna Jr. a ‘Long Way’ From Returning
The latest update from Walt Weiss is the last thing that the Braves fans wanted to hear then, and while he didn’t give specific details on when Acuna could return, he did state that he was a ‘long way’ from coming back.
According to Weiss, the strain in his hamstring is in the exact same spot as a prior injury, with the team reportedly set to be much more cautious about his return as to not make things much, much worse.
It’s unclear whether that means Acuna will simply be out for another week or two, or whether the team are fearing that this could be a long-term injury, but until there’s an official update, there’s always a chance this could be a worst-case scenario for the Braves. Before the injury, Acuna was looking like his old self again, hitting .251 with 7 home runs and 22 RBI across 53 games, with a respectable .793 OPS to go along with those numbers.
Sure, he may never be the 40/70 guy that we saw in 2023 again, but there’s no doubting his value to this Braves lineup, and with him at 100%, this is arguably the most dangerous hitting lineup in the entire sport. Simply put, Acuna Jr. is potentially as valuable in anyone in baseball to their individual team, and while the fears haven’t yet reached the worst, with him set to miss a lot more action moving forward, the Braves are hoping to keep their red-hot start going without their biggest star.
Braves Reveal Unfortunate Injury Update on Superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.