ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. likely caused many Braves fans to gasp when he fell to the ground during the third inning of a 4-0 loss to the Reds on Tuesday night at Truist Park.
Fortunately, this scare had a happy ending.
Approximately 30 minutes after Acuña fouled a pitch off his left leg and gingerly made his way back to the dugout, the Braves announced that X-rays were negative. A CT Scan later confirmed the outfielder is simply dealing with a left shin contusion.
“We'll see how he feels tomorrow,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He's going to be sore. Obviously we'll err on the side of caution at this time of the year. But all things considered, it's good news.”
Whether Acuña returns to action before this homestand concludes on Thursday will likely depend on how quickly the swelling decreases.
Having clinched the National League East on Sunday, the Braves will almost certainly serve as the NL’s No. 3 seed when the postseason begins next week. They entered Tuesday four games behind the Dodgers in the battle for the NL’s No. 2 seed and the corresponding bye into the NL Division Series.
So, with his team’s postseason seeding essentially set, Weiss wants his players to stay focused and, just as importantly, healthy as they spend the regular season’s final five games preparing for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday.
When Acuña returns to action will be determined by how he feels over the next few days. The five-time All-Star suffered the contusion when he fouled Brandon Williamson’s 3-1 cutter off his left shin. He immediately fell to the ground in pain and then went back to the ground after gingerly taking a couple steps toward the dugout.
Acuña was evaluated by Weiss and head athletic trainer George Poulis before eventually limping to the dugout under his own power.
“He hits the ball so hard that his foul balls off the feet and legs are not the same as the average Joe’s, just because the ball comes off his bat so hot,” Weiss said. “So I was concerned at first.”
The Braves are all too familiar with how late-September injuries and ailments can negatively impact a team in October.
2022: Max Fried lost 15 pounds because of a virus that weakened him down the stretch, and Spencer Strider strained his left oblique muscle.
2023: Charlie Morton suffered a right middle finger sprain and Fried dealt with a blister during the regular season’s final weeks
2024: Chris Sale’s sore back prevented him from pitching in the NL Wild Card Series against the Padres.
The Braves won the 2021 World Series without Acuña, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament just before the All-Star break that year. The timing of the injury allowed president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos time to acquire Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario, outfielders who all made significant contributions during that postseason.
It’s safe to say the Braves don’t have time to replace Acuña this year, or the ability to replace the great production he has provided over the past few weeks.
Acuña entered Tuesday hitting .372 with seven homers and a 1.119 OPS over 22 games going back to Aug. 28. The only MLB player with a better batting average (.405) and OPS (1.242) during this span was the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz, who homered off JR Ritchie in the third Tuesday night.
Ritchie allowed one run over five innings and recorded a career-high eight strikeouts. He will likely start Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Marlins.