With the supposed return of Spencer Strider on Tuesday, Atlanta Braves fans have quickly turned their attention to Ronald Acuña Jr. and his rehab. The young Braves star has been out since May 2024 after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Knowing that this was Acuña Jr.'s second major knee injury (to different knees), the Braves have been very cautious with how they handle him this go-around. Fortunately, it looks like Acuña Jr. just needs to check one big box before he makes his return.
While out on rehab assignment for the last week or so, Acuña Jr. has looked like his usual self at the plate cranking homers and very obviously having a great time. Given that the Braves made the rather aggressive move to get him to Gwinnett so quickly last week, Braves fans have been eagerly anticipating Acuña Jr.'s exact return date.
Well, we don't have an exact date just yet. However, Alex Anthopoulos made an appearance on Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman's "The Show" where he not only detailed his thoughts on how Acuña Jr.'s rehab has been going, but also what the team is looking for from him
Ronald Acuña Jr. just needs to demonstrate he can play a full game in the outfield without issues before he can return
Anthopoulos was pretty candid when it came to Acuña Jr.'s progress. He bluntly said that the team wasn't worried at all about his timing at the plate as is the case with a lot of players on IL stints because Acuña Jr. has played in a lot of simulated games and taking a lot of live BP. However, what the team doesn't know yet is how Acuña Jr.'s knee will react to playing in the field for a full nine innings.
That is going to 100% the plan this coming week in Gwinnett. In addition to seeing how he does once he attempts to steal his first base, it is Acuña Jr.'s rust and conditioning in the field seems to be the primary concern. That lines up with what Acuña Jr. himself has said during his rehab as he isn't used to be in the field and is going to need some reps in the outfield before he feels comfortable again.
Now, that is not a lengthy to-do list when it comes to rehab. He has already played on back-to-back days and the results have been quite good overall. If we see him make a pair of starts for the Stripers and he goes nine innings in each one without issue, a return for this weekend's home series against the Padres is very much in the cards.