Atlanta Braves fans have been waiting for superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. to break out this season.
It's unusual to see one of the best talents in baseball struggling as much as he has to start 2026.
Acuña Jr. had just two home runs through the entire first month of the season. That is abnormal for him, and a brief injury stint interrupted the start of May as well. When he returned, it still seemed like he wasn't quite where he wanted to be at the plate.
However, that has changed in the last few days. Acuña may have announced his return to torment opponents with his first multi-homer game since July 2025. Not only that, but he has also hit four home runs over three straight games. This couldn't have come at a better time for the Braves. This impressive set of games has also made history for the Venezuelan slugger.
Ronald Acuña Jr. joined a historic club with massive game against Reds
According to Braves insider Grant McAuley, Acuña Jr. also made a bit of history during Saturday's win over the Reds. He became just the 23rd player (4th Braves player) since 1898 to have two home runs and two stolen bases in the same game.
#Braves RF Ronald Acuña Jr. just became the 23rd player since 1898 to hit 2 home runs and steal 2 bases in the same game per @baseball_ref.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) May 31, 2026
He's the 4th Atlanta player to do so, joining Chipper Jones (1999), Rafael Furcal (2005), & Ender Inciarte (2017).pic.twitter.com/4E2fgYyMlA
OptaStats also expanded on that a bit, sharing that Atlanta's outfielder became the only MLB player in the modern era to have four or more homers, stolen bases, and walks in a three-game span. After this feat, his batting average is up to .246 on the season, with six homers, 19 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 31 walks, 42 strikeouts, and a .788 OPS. It's like he finds ways to make history at this point.
Acuña is only batting .200 over his last seven games. However, he is getting on base a bit more often, and his slugging percentage is up (.680 during this stretch). His walk rate continues to be elite, and he's hitting the ball hard with very little chase.
The main things he needs to work on are squaring up the ball more often, decreasing whiffs/strikeouts, and increasing his average exit velocity. Those are the only areas he's really struggled with in 2026. If he's able to improve those areas, he should be back to hitting as he did during his MVP-winning season.
Acuña Jr. xBA sits at .257 right now, which coincides directly with his average exit velocity sitting average at 89.9 mph. However, his xwOBA (.381) and xSLG (.490) are exactly where the Braves want him to be. It was only a matter of time before Acuña figured things out. Luckily, it seems like that moment has arrived. Now, we just have to hope he's able to maintain his health for the rest of the season.
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