Ronald Acuña Jr. had to leave Tuesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds way early after taking a nasty foul ball off his left leg. Man, what a gut punch to see the star outfielder go down, especially with the postseason staring them down next week. In the bottom of the third, he absolutely drilled a pitch straight into the inside of his left leg, and you just knew it was bad news from the jump.
A Scary Moment And A Painful Exit
Watching Acuña go down was tough. After fouling off that pitch, he tried to shake it off, tried to “walk it off” like so many players do, but it was clear that wasn’t happening. He couldn’t get past it, collapsing onto the field. A trainer was out there in a flash, and from the looks of it, Acuña was in a whole lot of pain. He was pulled from the game, replaced by Brewer Hicklen, and just like that, the entire vibe shifted. It’s never a good sign when a guy like Acuña can’t tough it out, especially when he’s the engine of that Atlanta lineup.
The Timing Could Not Be Worse For Atlanta
This isn’t Acuña’s first dance with injury this season, or even in his career. He missed a big chunk of time earlier this year, first sustaining a hamstring strain in May and then aggravating it again in early June. That kept him sidelined for over a month and a half, with him finally getting back on the field on July 27. And who could forget that brutal ACL tear in July 2021, right before the Braves went on their World Series run against the Houston Astros? He’s no stranger to the IL. While the good news for the Braves is they’ve already locked up a postseason berth and the NL East title, this new leg injury is a major concern. If it’s serious enough to land him on the IL, his availability for Atlanta’s first playoff series is immediately in doubt. This guy is the 28-year-old face of the lineup, their leadoff hitter, and a game-changer. This season, in 103 games, he’s slashing .260/.352/.463 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. It’s not his insane 2023 campaign where he put up 41 homers and 73 stolen bases for the first ever 40-70 season in MLB history, but he’s still a massive difference-maker. Losing that kind of production and energy right before the playoffs? Brutal.
The Braves only have five regular season games left before the playoffs kick off next week. If Acuña is out, Atlanta’s going to have to scramble and shuffle their lineup. We could see catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in the same lineup, with one likely at DH. That would open up right field for Mike Yastrzemski, or they could roll with Hicklen or Dominic Smith. Every single one of those options is a downgrade from Acuña. The entire baseball world is going to be watching for an update on his leg. Is this just a deep bruise, or is something more serious brewing that could derail Atlanta’s October plans before they even start? We’re all holding our breath.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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