The Atlanta Braves are taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, but all eyes are on Ronald Acuna Jr. after he fell to a scary non-contact injury. It didn't look good as the star outfielder fell to the ground while running the bases.
Acuna attempted to steal third base after the pitch. However, the Braves star fell awkwardly to the ground. After being looked at by the doctors, Ronald Acuna Jr. limped off the field and left the game.
Shortly after walking back to the locker room the Braves received an update on what injury Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered during the game against the Pirates. Reports indicate that Acuna is dealing with left knee soreness, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The club will conduct further evaluation once they return to Atlanta after the game.
“Acuna's ailment is currently being described as left knee soreness. He will receive further evaluation, but it may not occur until after the team returns to Atlanta tonight.”
That doesn't provide much information on the injury other than his left knee is bothering him. More information will surely be revealed. But the Braves are likely going to keep it under wraps until they know for sure what's going on with Ronald Acuna Jr.
Hopefully, it's literally just soreness and nothing too serious. But nobody will know for sure until the Braves evaluate the injury further. The fact Acuna was able to limp off the field without much help is a good sign. But the severity of the injury is still very much unknown.
Ronald Acuna Jr. has had a slow start to the season as so far he's recorded a .246 batting average with four home runs and 15 RBIs. He's having a substantially different season than he did last year that led him to win the MVP award. Despite that, the Braves can't afford to lose him as the team has faced a plague of injuries throughout the season.
Why Braves can't afford to lose Ronald Acuna Jr.
Although it's been a cold season for the star outfielder, the Braves would much rather have him in the lineup than not. He's easily one of the best offensive players in the league and can get hot at any moment. But this injury is definitely a hurdle Ronald Acuna Jr. and the team handle.
If the injury is serious and he has to miss time, the Braves could face a series of issues in the coming weeks. Especially considering Austin Riley has yet to return from injury as well. That's two of Atlanta's best position players dealing with injuries. Not an ideal situation for this franchise.
However, the Braves are going to evaluate Ronald Acuna Jr. further once they're back in Atlanta. If it's just a sore left knee after he tweaked it then Acuna should return within a week or so. But only time will tell exactly what kind of injury he suffered. Either way, Atlanta needs Acuna playing and losing him could force them to lose more games during the summer than they anticipated.
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