Subscribe
Follow Us
The Atlanta Braves are sure happy to have Ronald Acuna Jr. back in the lineup. Just about a year after suffering the second torn ACL of his career, Acuna rejoined the Braves' lineup this past week and wasted no time returning to the MVP version of himself, crushing the very first pitch he saw into the Truist Park seats.
While the Braves went on to lose that game vs the San Diego Padres, Acuna did not stop there, launching another home run in the next game of the series, which the Braves ended up winning 7-1.
After the game, Braves first baseman Matt Olson made a blunt admission about what makes Acuna so special.
“Sometimes, you’re just born with it, and he definitely was,” said Olson, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Olson also spoke on what makes Acuna so hard to game plan against for opposing pitchers.
“[Opponents] can’t ease their way into a game with Ronald,” Olson said. “Last night, perfect example, 115 for a homer. He’s dynamic when he gets on the bases, and the throw [outfield assist] he made last night to second. He’s the MVP and it’s good getting that kind of guy back.”
Can the Braves turn it around?
The Braves got off to a horrid 0-7 start to this season, getting swept by both the Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers to open up the year. However, the team has been slowly chipping away at the gap in the standings in the weeks since then, and they now sit just a game under .500 at 25-26, with still plenty of time to make up even more ground.
Acuna's reinsertion into the lineup will certainly help with that cause, as the 2023 NL MVP has looked every bit like the pre-injury version of himself in the two games since returning, recording some impressive plays in the outfield as well as at the plate.
The Braves will wrap up their series vs the Padres on Sunday afternoon at 4:10 PM ET, once again from Truist Park in Atlanta.
