Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
THE The Braves announced the injury Sunday night after having an MRI. He will miss the rest of the season.
The injury occurred as Acuña took the lead on the base paths from second base in the first inning of Atlanta’s 8-1 victory. He fell to the grass in obvious pain and grabbed his left leg. He remained on the ground for several moments, being tended to by trainers, before finally limping off the field.
Acuña was injured in the first half of the first inning of a scoreless game. He reached base with a leadoff double, then was injured attempting to steal third base. The Braves left Sunday’s game with the third-best record in the National League at 30-20, six games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (38-16) in the National League East.
Hard blow for Acuña and Braves
Acuña, 26, is a four-time All-Star and the reigning National League MVP. He led the league in runs, hits, stolen bases and on-base percentage in 2023 while slashing .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 149 runs scored and 73 stolen bases. In 48 games this season, he slashed .246/.348/.356 with four home runs, 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
The ACL tear is the second of Acuña’s career. He tore the ACL in his right knee in 2021 after jumping to play in the outfield. Acuña also suffered an ACL sprain in 2018 and was optimistic after the game Sunday that he had suffered another one. He told reporters he didn’t feel a pop like he did with his earlier ACL tear and wouldn’t be surprised if he did. sidelined for a month. Instead, he suffered the second injury ending his seven-season MLB career.
Acuña is the second season-altering injury for a Braves team that entered the season hoping to compete for its second World Series victory in four seasons. All-Star starter Spencer Strider pitched in only two games before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Strider finished fourth in last year’s Cy Young voting and was among the preseason favorites to compete for the award this year.
Now the Braves must regroup without their preseason Cy Young and MVP candidates.
News Source : sports.yahoo.com
Gn sports
