Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the past nine seasons in MLB. The 28-year-old superstar has continued to shine when on the field. He is a former National League Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, three-time Silver Slugger and five-time All Star, but staying healthy has never been guaranteed.
He has missed significant time due to multiple ACL tears, one in each knee, along with several other nagging injuries. After everything he has been through, Acuna has understandably lost some of the elite athleticism he showed during his historic 40‑home run, 70‑steal season, the only one of its kind in MLB history.
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His 2026 season has been underwhelming by his standards. He has already been caught stealing four times, the most in MLB, and his overall production has been inconsistent. On Saturday, his disappointing season took another turn. The Braves were looking to win a second straight game against the Colorado Rockies and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Acuna singled out of the leadoff spot in the first inning and scored on a home run from Drake Baldwin. But disaster struck in the top of the second. While attempting to beat out a slowly hit ground ball, Acuna appeared to injure himself running to first base. He was in clear discomfort.
Then, in the bottom of the second inning, he was removed from the game, with Eli White taking over in right field. Moments later, the Braves announced an update on Acuna’s early exit. “OF Ronald Acuna Jr. was removed from tonight’s game with left hamstring tightness,” the team wrote on X.
This is extremely unfortunate for Acuna, who had finally been available this year after several injury plagued seasons. The severity of the left hamstring issue remains unclear, and he will likely undergo further testing.
His next chance to return would be Sunday for the series finale in Colorado, though the Braves may want to proceed carefully given how important he is to their long-term plans and the fact that it is only May.
