Camila Sosa
The Atlanta Braves have reason to look forward to the month of May, as their star outfielder, Ronald Acuña Jr. will begin a rehabilitation process at Triple-A on Tuesday as he continues to get back to 100% following his ACL injury.
It is expected that the Venezuelan could return to the Atlanta Braves’ roster on May 6. However, this date is merely tentative, and it may vary depending on the progress of the player’s recovery, who is expected to return in “early May.”
“I’m still working hard…I’m following the planning,” mentioned Ronald Acuña Jr. during Saturday. “Until they say I can play, I’ll be ready,” the player concluded.
The outfielder suffered an ACL injury last July, which abruptly cut short a season that was going very well for him. Prior to that injury in the 2021 campaign, Ronald Acuña Jr. was hitting for an average of .283/.394/.596 with 24 homers and 17 stolen bases, so this incident meant a hard blow for the entire Atlanta Braves team.
Regardless of this, the Braves would end up winning the World Series that season despite starting as underdogs. His return will serve as an “acquisition” for the team’s roster, which has a 5-6 record after its first 11 games in this 2022 MLB campaign.
Manager Brian Snitker had some words about the possible return of Ronald Acuña Jr. “I’m sure he’s excited to play real games under lights. It’s winding down to where we can get him back. That will be a boost for this club.”
Where Will Ronald Acuña Jr. Play When He Returns?
In the absence of Ronald Acuña Jr. in these first games of the season, manager Brian Snitker has entrusted his backfields to Marcell Ozuna, Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario, who have done a good job so far. Of all of them, Ozuna has been the most outstanding, with a batting average of .318/.326/.659 and with a total of four homers and eight runs batted in.
Eddie Rosario has had the most mediocre numbers of them all, with a batting average and slugging percentage of just .034, which is surprising after being one of the main architects of the Braves’ run to the 2021 World Series. All of this makes him the leading candidate to be replaced once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns to the lineup.
The Venezuelan outfielder has a .281/.376/.549 average with 105 homers, 246 RBIs and 78 stolen bases in MLB since his debut in 2018, and he hasn’t stopped padding his stat line since. His return will be more than welcome by the Atlanta Braves, since they will have a complicated schedule during May, and from May 2 to 15 they have series against teams such as the Mets, Brewers, Red Sox and Padres.
