How does an athlete suffer a serious knee injury twice in four year span, and still amaze fans with the talent he displays on a nightly basis? Being Ronald Acuña Jr. that's how. The Braves franchise player looks every bit as good as he did pre-injury. Many fans wondered if Ronald would ever get back to the stellar 2023 MVP level again after his second major knee surgery, but RAJ has quickly put those worries to rest.
Not only is Acuna Jr. back to his MVP level, he's back to being generational levels good way faster than anyone could have expected. After homering in the series opening victory against the Brewers, the Braves right fielder moved up to 1.0 fWAR in just 16 games played. If Acuna Jr. were to average these numbers over a 162 game span he would total right around a 10.0 fWAR, more than his 9.1 fWAR during his historic 2023 NL MVP season.
The only thing Acuna Jr. isn't doing is stealing bases like he did when he led MLB in 2023. However, that isn't something that should come as a surprise to fans, as Acuna Jr. let us know back in October he planned to be more selective on the basepaths this season; everything else has been right on par with the elite numbers he produced in '23.
Ronald Acuña Jr. stats | 2023 (through 16 games) | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Batting average | .373 | .305 |
On-base percentage (OBP) | .455 | .406 |
Slugging percentage | .567 | .593 |
Stolen Bases | 7 | 0 |
Home runs | 3 | 5 |
Walk rate (BB%) | 11.7% | 14.5% |
Strikeout rate (K%) | 15.6% | 31.9% |
wRC+ | 179 | 176 |
wOBA | .440 | .426 |
Ronald Acuña Jr. continuing to mash baseballs could spur a Braves comeback
It's no secret this season has been one of the most trying seasons for fans in quite awhile. Offensive underperformance, rotation injuries, and bullpen meltdowns have led to the Braves falling nine games below .500 before mid-June.
However, not all hope is lost as Atlanta does possess the type of talent that can still turn the ship around. Ronald Acuna Jr. obliterating baseballs at the rate he has since his return bodes well for run production going forward. His average exit velocity is currently higher than both Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, so Acuna Jr. has the template to a very successful season.
A Ronnie Rocket 🚀#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/lSaVum9fvF
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 10, 2025
Atlanta simply needs to start getting more from the bottom of the order so that Acuna has the chance to do more damage in the runs driven in category. Three of his home runs have been solo shots, and the other two tanks were two-run homers.
Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies are all beginning to show signs of life, so hopefully the middle of the Braves order can start putting up some crooked numbers to take the pressure off the pitching staff. Ronald is getting on base so frequently that run scoring opportunities should continue to present themselves.
Now it's a matter of some of the Braves big boppers to start taking advantage of these run scoring chances Ronald is creating. Hopefully, snapping their losing streak was enough to pull the team out the vibes dumpster. It's clear Ronald Acuna Jr. is playing with the same swagger and producing like he did in 2023, it's time for the rest of the offense to follow suit.
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