Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return will be the spark the Braves have needed
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will make his highly-anticipated return tonight, giving the team a boost in this young season.
After nine long months, Atlanta Braves fans will get to see Ronald Acuña Jr. play in the big leagues again. The team announced this morning that Acuña would be reinstated from the 10-day injured list and added to the active roster.
The #Braves today returned OF Ronald Acuña Jr. from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list. To make room on the active roster, the club designated OF Alex Dickerson for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 28, 2022
Alex Dickerson was the DFA casualty. Dickerson had a .121 batting average with one home run and two RBIs in 13 games. He did however have a .236 xBA and 41.7% hard hit rate according to Fan Graphs, meaning luck was often not on his side in several of his at-bats.
No lineups have been announced yet, but David O’Brien of The Athletic believes that Ronald will be batting leadoff once again in the rubber match against the Chicago Cubs.
During his rehab stint with Gwinnett, he hit .368 (7-for-19) with a double, one RBI, six walks, and three stolen bases. He spent time as both the team’s DH and right fielder.
Things you love to see...
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) April 19, 2022
The knee looks good.#AcuñaWatch2022 pic.twitter.com/Utx4ppf1AH
Acuña has gone on record multiple times saying not only does he feel great, he feels better than he did before the injury. If that’s the case, this could be one of the best comeback seasons we have seen in baseball history.
Ronald’s return comes at a perfect time for the Braves. At 8-11, the team has gotten off to an up and down start to 2022 (where have we heard that before?), and having Acuña’s bat back in the lineup will be a welcome spark for everyone.
His return also stabilizes the Braves’ outfield. The outfield production for the team has been inconsistent on both sides, and getting Acuña back out there to hit and play defense will be a big advantage for the team.
Here’s a reminder of what he can bring to the table on defense:
https://twitter.com/BravesOnBally/status/1412202921194893315
After the gut-wrenching ACL injury Ronald suffered in July 2021 against the Miami Marlins, Braves’ country will once again get the privilege of watching one of the best young players in baseball in action. The rest of the league has officially been put on notice: he’s back.