The Atlanta Braves have been waiting for their star player to return to the mound, and they'll have to wait no longer. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been activated off the injured list, and he will play in the Braves’ series opener against the San Diego Padres on May 23.

Manager Brian Snitker spoke about Acuna's return and how he feels leading up to his debut with the team.

“They double checked with him [pregame] and decided, rather than him playing a game tonight in Louisville and taking tomorrow off, [he’ll] take today off and come play with us tomorrow,” Snitker said via MLB.com. “So that’ll be good. I mean, he feels ready, so that’ll be great. It’ll be great to get him back in the lineup.”

Acuna has been recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last season around this time, and he's put in a lot of work to be able to get to this point. He had recently been playing with Triple-A Gwinnett, but was a healthy scratch in their previous game, as they gave him some time to travel to Atlanta and get prepared to play for the Braves.

Everyone will be looking to see Acuna get back to the player he was when he was unanimously the NL MVP in 2023.

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Everybody seems to be excited about Acuna's return, including his teammates. Matt Olson spoke about getting back the star player and what it will mean for him to be in the lineup.

“We know how electric that guy is,” Olson said. “MVP-caliber player. To be able to get his energy back and lead off the game with No. 13 is going to be exciting.

“The way he plays is infectious. I can’t say enough about the talent of a player that he is. The things he’s able to do on a baseball field, not many people can do. And to get a guy back like that, it can only help you.”

The Braves are currently 24-25 and third in the NL East after having a very slow start to the season. They've been able to float around .500 for some time now, and the hope is that with Acuna returning, he can give them the boost that they need to climb up the standings.

The Braves may bring Acuna along slowly, but as the season progresses, he should be back to where he wants.