Ronald Acuña Jr. Could Return to Braves' Lineup This Weekend in Baltimore

Ronald Acuña Jr. could be back in Atlanta’s lineup as soon as Friday.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said he expects Acuña to return from the injured list during this weekend’s series in Baltimore and did not rule out activating the star outfielder before Friday’s opener, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman in a report published July 23.

That would be a significant boost for Atlanta. Acuña, the 2023 National League MVP, remains one of the Braves’ most important hitters and baserunners. His impact has shown up in the standings as well: The Braves were 37-16 with Acuña in the lineup this season and 23-26 without him, according to the AP via CBS News.

Acuña’s latest rehab appearance came Thursday night with Triple-A Gwinnett. He went 0-for-2 with a walk in Gwinnett’s 4-2 win over Iowa, though the game was called after five innings because of rain. Even without a hit Thursday, MLB.com reported encouraging signs from the rehab assignment overall. Nine of the 14 balls Acuña has put in play in rehab games were hit at 95 mph or harder, including a 98.4 mph groundout in the first inning Thursday.

The report also pointed to progress on the bases. In a Wednesday rehab game, Acuña showed no lingering effects while running, scoring from second base with a headfirst slide and later stealing third.

Weiss told MLB.com that Acuña’s return date depends less on his health than on whether he feels game-ready at the plate.

“A lot of it depends on how he performs, really. He’s got to feel right about his timing and all that stuff. So I’m hoping he gets a couple of hits tonight and he feels good about it,” Weiss said.

Weiss added: “Physically, he’s good to go.”

The Braves’ approach reflects both Acuña’s importance and the nature of the injury. He has been sidelined since June with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list after getting hurt. It is the second time this season he has strained that same left hamstring, giving Atlanta reason to focus on readiness rather than simply accelerating the timetable.

“This is all about him being ready to be impactful when he gets here,” Weiss said.

Before the injury, Acuña had played 195 at-bats and was hitting .251 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and a .794 OPS, according to his MLB player page. Those numbers fall short of his MVP peak, but they still underline the value of getting him back atop or near the top of Atlanta’s order.

For now, the return window is this weekend’s July 24-26 series against the Orioles in Baltimore. Weiss has left open the possibility that Acuña could be activated before Friday’s game, but no move had been confirmed in the reporting.