When Atlanta Braves fans saw Ronald Acuña Jr. pull up lame at first base on a grounder while grabbing his hamstring, it was easy to fear the worst. Not only did Acuña Jr. look in significant pain, but his recent injury history does not inspire confidence that he will avoid significant downtime. However, most updates on Acuña Jr.'s hamstring have been positive, and most reports indicate that the injury is considered mild.
That is why it was a little concerning to hear that Acuña Jr. wouldn't stay on the IL for the minimum amount of time and still had some boxes he needed to check. Still, manager Walt Weiss didn't seem to be concerned when he provided an update on Acuña Jr., and Braves beat writer Mark Bowman seems to believe that Acuña Jr. could be back next week during the Braves' homestand.
All of that is relatively good news, but it does raise the question as to whether or not Acuña Jr. is going to be hitting the ball hard again upon his return, because the drop-off he has had in that department in 2026 is a bit concerning, no matter how his hamstring is feeling.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is running the bases today. He’d like to be activated with the next few days. As you know, Weiss said they’ll likely wait until Acuña can play the outfield pic.twitter.com/j0Ga1t8han
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 16, 2026
Ronald Acuña Jr. seems to be on track to return from the IL next week, and hopefully, his hard hit rate returns with him
For all of Acuña Jr.'s strengths and weaknesses, the one thing he has always done is hit the ball hard. You can go all the way back to his rookie season in 2018, and you won't see any season where Acuña Jr. didn't post elite average exit velocity and hard hit rate metrics. At least, that was the case.
So far in 2026, Acuña Jr. has looked very human, and that consistent hard contact hasn't really been there. One could probably guess that Acuña Jr. hasn't hit the ball with the same authority this season so far, but it is jarring to see that his average exit velocity and hard hit rate in 2026 are both slightly below average compared to the rest of the league. If Acuña Jr. isn't hitting the ball hard, that is a
Acuña Jr. was grinding his way through that early-season rough stretch by getting on-base and helping the Braves manufacture runs with his legs. However, he can only be Mr. Small Ball for so long before pitchers realize that they don't have to respect his power as much and try to beat him with power stuff in the zone even more. If Acuña Jr. can come back and start punishing those pitches again, it would go a long way towards soothing the current injury fears around him.
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