The Road Back to Greatness for Acuña Jr.

Over a year after tearing his ACL for the second time, Ronald Acuña Jr. made a strong comeback to competition last night. After hitting a solo home run in his first rehab game with the Atlanta Braves' Florida Complex League squad, Acuña quickly demonstrated his growth. Before leaving the game in the seventh inning, he went one-for-three at the plate while playing right field, indicating a positive development in his recuperation. With the hope that he could return to the major league roster by the end of May, the Braves intend to progressively increase his workload by giving him more minor league assignments.

There are no hints from the Braves about how many games Acuña could play before being activated. The 2023 National League MVP hasn't participated in a game in almost a full calendar year, manager Brian Snitker pointed out when questioned. The maximum length of time a position player can spend in rehab is 20 days. If all goes according to plan, Acuña will be operational by June. However, there is cause to expect an early comeback to Atlanta's roster.

Another rehab game is planned for Acuña Jr. He is scheduled to continue his recovery with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers after making a successful return last night. He is anticipated to play tomorrow night at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Georgia, when the Stripers play the Charlotte Knights. This will be another test for him, to see how he is holding up. 

When it comes to Acuña Jr.'s return, the Atlanta Braves are cautiously optimistic. Acuña's rehabilitation is being managed on a day-to-day basis, according to manager Brian Snitker, who said, "They'll reevaluate him again like anybody the day after and see how he feels, but it'll just be good to get him running around in the outfield again." Additionally, Snitker emphasized the significance of following Acuña's at-bats and physical reaction every day, saying, "At some point it’ll be, ‘Ok, it’s time.’" Despite the difficulties of recovering from a second ACL injury, Snitker stated, "He’s going to start playing the outfield and start his march back." With no stated comeback date, the Braves are dedicated to making sure Acuña recovers completely before reintroducing him into the major league lineup.