Ronald Acuna Jr. is starting to come alive at the right time for the Atlanta Braves. He has been scorching hot in the month of September. In his first five games this month, the 28-year-old superstar has collected 10 hits across 22 plate appearances including three home runs and nine RBIs.
Two of those home runs have come during Atlanta’s current series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he has come up huge against their division rivals.
Atlanta is on pace to win the National League East barring a major collapse over the final few weeks of the regular season, and with Acuna playing the way he is, he is fully capable of leading this group on a deep postseason run.
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Acuna has battled plenty of adversity this season, including multiple stints on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. It has been an unfortunate common theme in his career that he simply cannot stay on the field, and lower body issues have continued to pile up. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, that has played a role in how the Braves plan to move forward with him.
Acuna still has two more years of club options that Atlanta will almost certainly pick up given his ceiling and how affordable the deals are.
Rosenthal reported that Acuna is likely interested in an extension beyond that, but he does not believe that feeling goes both ways. The Braves appear comfortable letting the remainder of the deal play out and allowing Acuna to hit unrestricted free agency.
That is disappointing for Acuna considering everything he has accomplished during his tenure with the team. He is a former Rookie of the Year, MVP, five-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger. However, it makes sense why Atlanta is being cautious.
Their current deal with Austin Riley is not looking great given his injuries and struggles this year, and a similar situation could develop with Acuna. Still, for fans to not know if the face of the franchise will be around long-term is certainly a difficult reality to sit with.
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