Atlanta Braves fans were collectively holding their breath when Ronald Acuna Jr. was removed from Tuesday night's game after fouling a ball off his shin. It provided some unwanted flashbacks to the worst injuries of his career.
Luckily, X-rays were negative for a broken bone, and he was listed as day-to-day with a left shin contusion. He obviously sat out game two of Atlanta's series with the Reds, but he returned to the lineup for the series finale on Thursday evening.
That is amazing news for Acuna and the Braves. He was finally playing at the level everyone around baseball expected him to be at. Hopefully, this injury doesn't derail that recent success. Acuna has often struggled to get things going again after he suffers an injury. With the playoffs only a week away, the Braves cannot afford for him to disappear offensively.
Braves cannot afford for his latest injury scare to cause him to hesitate this postseason
Each time he returned from ACL injuries, it was clear that Acuna's confidence wasn't there for a while. He eventually got back on track, but it rightfully took him some time to get over some mental hurdles.
There are already some question marks for the team heading into the postseason. The starting pitching depth has taken another hit with Martin Perez being placed on the IL. Bryce Elder is uncertain for the playoff rotation as well. It would be nice for the offense to not be something to worry about as well. Especially with Acuna being the Braves' best hitter over the last month. He has a .310/.377/.543 slash line over the last 30 days with seven homers and 30 RBI.
The good news is that it appears Acuna is going to be just fine. He returned to the lineup on Thursday against the Reds, and he looked good. He was 2-for-5, scoring one run and stealing a base. That should ease some concerns about his health. Acuna hasn't been able to be a part of a deep postseason run since 2020. And he hasn't been very consistent offensively in the playoffs, with a .257 career average and an .817 OPS in October.
Atlanta needs him to be at his best if they're going to have a chance at getting to the World Series. This could be the moment he reminds everyone why he's one of the best players in baseball.
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