X-rays negative for Acuña (hand) as Braves roll after another injury scare

WASHINGTON -- Michael Harris II is surging. Matt Olson is providing MVP-caliber production and Bryce Elder is earning more respect every time he steps on the mound.

As for Ronald Acuña Jr., things are also going his way.

Braves manager Walt Weiss and all of his players breathed a sigh of relief when they learned Acuña didn’t sustain a significant injury when his left hand was struck with a pitch during Monday night’s 9-4 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park.

“Ronnie is OK,” Weiss said. “X-rays were negative. He’s going to be fine.”

That’s good news for the Braves, who have won six straight to increase their MLB-best win total to 16 (tied with the Dodgers). They lost four starting pitchers to injuries during Spring Training. But after getting bitten by the injury bug repeatedly over the past two seasons, things are even going well on the health front.

“You don’t want to get hit in the hand or the elbow,” Olson said. “You take something in the back or the leg, it’s easy to shake off. But there’s a lot of little bones in the hand.”

So, there was reason for the Braves to be concerned when Nationals starter Jake Irvin hit the 2023 National League MVP with an 0-1, 91.2 mph fastball in the sixth. The Atlanta outfielder remained in the game after being evaluated and was on deck when the same half-inning ended. But he was replaced by Eli White in right field during the bottom half of the inning.

“It was swelling up pretty good, so we just got him out of there,” Weiss said.

Two innings later, the Braves announced the X-ray results. Weiss provided further comfort after the game when he said there were no plans for an MRI exam. X-rays on Austin Riley’s hand were negative, when he was hit with a pitch in August 2024. But an MRI exam the following day showed a season-ending fracture.

“You worry about getting hit in the hand, especially with the bat there,” Elder said. “It doesn’t take anything much to fracture something there. So, hearing it was negative was good.”

Irvin also hit Acuña in the left arm guard during the fourth inning. There didn’t seem to be any intent with either pitch. But hitting any player, especially a superstar caliber player twice in one game is going to create some frustration.

“One time, it happens,” Weiss said. “But a couple times, that’s a tough one.”

Umpires warned both benches after Elder hit CJ Abrams in the right hip with a pitch in the bottom of the sixth. But nothing more came from Acuña being plunked twice.

“Just one bad pitch can lead to him sitting out a while and you don’t want to see that,” Harris said.

Acuña left without talking to reporters. But there’s a chance he’ll return to the lineup Tuesday to aid an offense that has tallied 131 runs (second only to the Dodgers’ 133), despite the fact he has just a .719 OPS through 23 games.

Much of the load has been carried by Olson, who leads the team in home runs (six) and OPS (.954). His latest homer was a game-tying shot off Irvin in the fourth inning. Olson now stands with Giancarlo Stanton as the only players who have hit 13-plus homers within their first 30 games at Nationals Park.

Reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin singled ahead of Olson’s two-run shot in the fourth and he tallied a two-run double after Acuña was hit in Atlanta’s decisive five-run sixth. The big frame also saw an RBI single from Harris, who is 11-for-26 with three homers over his past eight games.

Elder surrendered more earned runs (three) over 6 2/3 innings against the Nationals than he had over the 23 1/3 innings he had totaled in his four previous starts this season. But he overcame some first-inning command issues, pitched into the seventh inning and proved to be a good teammate.

“I understand why they came at CJ there,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “One of their best players gets hit twice. Things like that happen. We didn’t do it on purpose by any means, but I understand.”