Well, that sucks! Again!
For the second time in as many months, the Atlanta Braves are losing a key member of their team for the remainder of the season. This time, it’s a bit of a bad déjà vu since Ronald Acuña Jr. this time completely tore the ACL in his left knee. Much like Spencer Strider, we won’t see Acuña again until next season and there’s no guarantee he’ll be fully right before 2026. Needless to say, this is an extremely frustrating development in what has already been a very unlucky season. for the Braves when it comes to injury luck.
If we count a game where Strider would be the starting pitcher, the Braves have now lost five of their starters to IL stints (and I count Austin Riley’s injury because even though he was never placed on the ‘HE, he was). absent more than 10 days). It’s a stark comparison to the “good old days” of last season, where one of the reasons they were able to play so well was because the injury bug stayed away from the team. Here in 2024, the Braves haven’t been so lucky in that regard and are clearly hoping this will be the worst of it instead of just the beginning.
The only good news I have to share is that the Braves are still a virtual lock to make the playoffs. Heading into Memorial Day, FanGraphs gives the Braves a 97% chance of making the playoffs and they still have a strong chance of winning the World Series as they have an 11.6% chance of doing so – which is n he’s only behind the Yankees. (14 percent) and the Dodgers (19 percent) when it comes to those odds. The Braves are still a comically talent-laden team and they could afford to lose players of Strider and Acuña’s ability and still be right in the mix.
That being said, the division is officially up for grabs at this point and if I’m completely honest, I would consider the Braves to be underdogs to retain the division crown. The Phillies are off to an incredible start and as long as the injury bug doesn’t start to stalk them, they are going to fight to win the division all season long. Yes, their schedule has been comically weak, but hey, you can’t control who you play and these wins matter just as much as if they had to face the 1927 Yankees or the 2023 Japanese national team. You still have to take care of business and so far that’s exactly what the Phillies are doing.
Still, the Braves under Brian Snitker are the type of team that likes to play the role of underdog — all you have to do is look at the red flag with “2021” on it outside right-center field at Truist Park as proof of this. . Plus, they have a magician for a general manager in Alex Anthopoulos, so if anyone can find a way to improve this team while Strider and Acuña are down, he can. So if the Braves are going to make the playoffs as a Wild Card, so be it. If they have to make another incredible comeback to pull off an upset and remain division champions, so be it. This group has faced many adversities during their lives together and this is just another challenge to add to the list.
With all of this being discussed, I feel absolutely horrible for Ronald Acuña Jr. His road to recovery from a torn right ACL and ultimately returning to good form has been long and arduous. Acuña’s passion for the sport is hard to match: He was announced as the 2023 National League MVP while preparing to play in a Venezuelan championship game that he didn’t really need to play in. Instead, he played there because he loved baseball. and he wanted to put on a show for his fans at home and he succeeded.
Baseball has been equally loving and cruel to this guy. When Acuña was on the field, he was one of the most dynamic talents on the field and his impact on the Braves was almost immeasurable. Unfortunately, injuries are starting to become a major part of Acuña’s career and it’s honestly fair to wonder if he’ll be the same now that he’s had to undergo surgical reconstruction of both of his knees. Medical science has come a long way and he was absolutely brilliant once he fully recovered from a torn right ACL, but it’s going to be quite a challenge for him to get back to the level we have him at. seen in the first half of 2021 and throughout 2023.
It must also be mentally exhausting. We’ve all heard stories about how Acuña was thrilled for his teammates and was probably their loudest cheerleader on their path to winning the World Series title three seasons ago, that also killed him inside not being able to contribute to the title race. . The Braves are still good enough to try for another World Series title, but it will be a huge disappointment to know that Acuña will be on the sidelines again if they continue and have another special season.
So yeah, aside from the fact that the Braves should be able to weather this injury just like Strider’s, it’s a huge disappointment that they’re both out. Coupled with the fact that Acuña and Strider are an important part of Atlanta’s plans, not only for now but also for the future, this is a disappointment for the sport. Ronald Acuña Jr. was absolutely electric last season and is one of those players that fans pay top dollar for just to see what he can do. It’s a shame we won’t see him play again this season and it’s worse knowing he has to start the recovery process again.
Acuña will eventually return to the field and while it’s fair to wonder if he will be the same, I would bet on him that he will make a hell of an effort to return to his normal form. If he returns from this injury and also returns to what we’re used to seeing from him – that is, dominance on the base paths, home runs and acrobatic play in the outfield – then it will be one of the great stories in Braves history and recent baseball history as well.
All we can do as fans is be patient and hope that Acuña is up for the challenge of overcoming this final hurdle. Until then, the Braves will just have to keep moving forward. That’s all they do, so why stop now?