The Atlanta Braves are currently gearing up for the upcoming 2026 MLB season, which is slated to get underway in late March. The Braves have already been hit hard by the injury bug leading up to the season, with pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach already having been ruled out for the opening chunk of the campaign after undergoing surgery.
One player who is healthy is Ronald Acuna Jr., and recently, his teammate Michael Harris II got 100% honest on what he's seen from the star so far during spring training.
“He adds some explosiveness to the start of any lineup. Seeing him leadoff this lineup could give us a lot of confidence and it can be 1-0 real quick,” said Harris, per the MLB Network on X, formerly Twitter.
Some Braves fans have wondered whether the team might urge Acuna to lay off of stealing bases with so much frequency this year, considering that he has already suffered two ACL tears thus far during his MLB career. However, even if he does dial it down in that department, Acuna remains one of the most dangerous bats in the league, starting out the Braves' hitting order with a bang and often setting the tone for opposing pitchers.
Having Acuna at 100% after some injury-riddled campaigns will certainly go a long way in helping the Braves bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade last year, but he's not the only one who will need to step up. Atlanta saw severe regression from several players on their roster last season, including fan favorites Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley, and they will need to see those bats heat back up again this year in order to re-enter the conversation in the NL landscape.
In any case, the Braves' season is slated to get underway in late March with a series against the Kansas City Royals.
