Acuña signals he's close to rejoining Braves in two-hit rehab game

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr.'s first two trips around the bases provided indication he is ready to be activated from the injured list.

Acuña went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs while playing for Triple-A Gwinnett in a 7-5 win over Iowa on Wednesday night at Gwinnett Field. The 2023 National League MVP’s left hamstring hasn’t created any noticeable problems as he has now played seven Minor League rehab games.

With Thursday being an afternoon game against the Padres, the Braves may wait until at least Friday to activate Acuña from the injured list.

“Obviously, Ronald is close to being back here,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday afternoon. “Exactly when, I don’t know. A lot of it depends on how he performs in the rehab assignment. When it looks like he’s right, I’m sure he’ll be back with us right away.”

Acuña looked like his dynamic self when he singled in Wednesday’s first inning and advanced to second base on an error. The precaution he had shown most of the past week wasn’t present when he then stole third base and scored on a Ha-Seong Kim groundout.

Acuña singled off the right-field wall in the second inning. He advanced to second base on a walk and scored on a Carlos Santana single. Again, there were no signs of hesitation as raced to third and then slid headfirst across the plate.

The Braves have taken it slow with Acuña since he strained his left hamstring for a second time this season on June 9. The outfielder served as a designated hitter during his first four rehab games, three of which were played with the Rookie-level FCL Braves. But he has now played right field for at least seven innings in three straight games.