Acuña’s Game 4 Status Uncertain as Braves Face Elimination vs. Dodgers

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s status for Game 4 of the National League Division Series was still unsettled Wednesday, leaving the Atlanta Braves without clarity on their biggest star as they faced elimination against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Atlanta lost Game 3, 3-1, on Tuesday and trails the best-of-five series 2-1, according to MLB.com. That makes Acuña’s availability especially important for a Braves team that needs a win Wednesday night to force a Game 5. His status affects not only the middle of the batting order, but also how Atlanta sets its outfield and catcher spots.

Acuña was moved from right field to designated hitter for Game 3 because of soreness in his right knee, MLB.com reported. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the loss. After the game, Braves manager Walt Weiss said the team had not yet determined whether Acuña would be able to play Wednesday.

“I’m not sure about tomorrow,” Weiss said, via MLB.com. “We’ll see how he feels when he comes in tomorrow.”

MLB.com reported that the soreness traces back to Game 2, when Acuña “slid into second base on a steal and jammed his knee.” As of that reporting, there was no official ruling that he would miss Game 4. His availability, and whether he could return to the outfield or would again be limited to designated hitter, depended on how the knee responded.

That uncertainty carries lineup consequences beyond Acuña alone. If he cannot play the outfield and is limited to DH, MLB.com outlined a likely reshuffling for Atlanta. Drake Baldwin could move from designated hitter to catcher, which could leave Sean Murphy on the bench. From there, Atlanta could mix and match Mauricio Dubón, Ha-Seong Kim and Lane Thomas between shortstop and the outfield depending on matchup preferences. Baldwin and Murphy are the Braves’ two catchers on the NLDS roster, making the catcher-DH decision central to the rest of the alignment.

Game 4 was scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow and Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle listed by MLB.com as the expected starters.

The stakes are obvious for Atlanta because Acuña is much more than a regular starter. The former unanimous NL MVP won the award in 2023 after a 40-homer, 70-steal season, and MLB.com noted that he finished this regular season with a .997 OPS over his final 26 games. At this point in the postseason, though, he was 3-for-15 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs.

The Braves’ caution is also understandable given which knee is involved. The current soreness is in Acuña’s right knee, the same knee in which he tore an ACL in 2021. That is separate from the left ACL tear he suffered in 2024. For a team trying to extend its season by one game, Wednesday’s decision centered on how much Acuña could do — and where Atlanta could afford to put him.