Acuña (left thumb bone bruise) day to day after exiting Thursday's game

MIAMI -- Three days after returning from the injured list, Ronald Acuña Jr. exited the Braves’ 9-3 win over the Marlins on Thursday night after the fifth inning as a precaution because of pain in his left thumb.

According to Braves manager Walt Weiss, Acuña has a bone bruise and is considered day to day after X-rays were negative.

Despite the scare, Acuña was trying to talk his way into Friday’s lineup against the Nationals as soon as the game was over.

“I am going to play however I am,” Acuña said in Spanish. “I don’t want to play tomorrow, I am going to play tomorrow.”

Weiss said that Acuña was not sure when it happened, though it may have occurred during his at-bat in the top of the fifth.

As Acuña prepared to take the field in right after the top of the fifth, he was seen speaking with members of the training staff while pointing toward his left hand. The 28-year-old continued to flex and examine his thumb before remaining in the game. Eli White replaced him in right field in the sixth.

“It wasn’t getting any better after being out in the field for an inning so that is why we took him out," Weiss said. “[But] I think he’s going to be fine.”

“I feel good [but] this is the first time that something like this has happened to me,” Acuña said. “I asked the trainers and… I don’t even know how to [explain it to] you but I feel like my finger is a little bit tight.

“I went with [Raisel] Iglesias when I was going to go defend and then out of nowhere I couldn’t move my finger and it’s not normal when you can't move [it]."

Acuña went 2-for-3 before departing, collecting a leadoff single in the first inning and later driving in two runs on a groundball single to center field on his last at-bat.

Thursday marked Acuña’s second game back in the field after serving as the designated hitter in the previous game of the four-game series. He also returned to the leadoff spot after Drake Baldwin was placed on the injured list with a Grade 1 right oblique strain.

“I didn’t convince [Weiss], he needs to put me in because if not, four outfielders are going to go play,” Acuña said.