Atlanta Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has missed a good chunk of the 2026 MLB season with hamstring injuries. The latest strain has had him on the injured list since June 9, though he was previously on the IL in May.
In 53 games this season, Acuña is slashing .251/.373/.421 (.794 OPS) with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The 28-year-old was red-hot after his first IL stint.
Acuña’s rehab is almost done now after roughly a month and a half. The Braves recently transferred his rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, meaning he will be back in the majors very soon.
Atlanta is 56-41, first place in the National League East for the moment. However, the second-place Philadelphia Phillies have been gaining on them for some time.
Another Braves outfielder has been on the IL during Acuña’s absence, that being longtime Giant Mike Yastrzemski. He has been out since July 11 with left elbow inflammation.
It seems like the elbow problem will not require Yastrzemski to be out for very long. On Saturday, manager Walt Weiss told Harrison Smajovits of Sports Illustrated that he could be back after the minimum 10 days.
The Braves could soon be getting back both of their starting corner outfielders at a time where they really need it. Mauricio Dúbon, Eli White and Brewer Hicklen have manned those spots during their absence.
In his first season in Atlanta, Yastrzemski’s production has admittedly taken a bit of a downturn. In 85 games, the corner outfielder is slashing .230/.321/.365 (.686 OPS) with six home runs and 28 RBIs.
While the 35-year-old has struggled at the plate, he has been solid defensively as usual. This has resulted in five defensive runs saved in the outfield across 570 ⅔ innings played. He now has 42 DRS in nearly 7,000 total innings in his career (h/t FanGraphs).
The Braves are at home until Thursday, the final game of a four-game set versus the San Diego Padres. Acuña and Yastrzemski could possibly return at some point during that series.
