MIAMI – In the eighth inning of the Braves’ 12-0 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park, Ronald Acuña Jr.. stood on the right side of the visitors’ dugout entrance, leaning on his bat with his guards on his arm, ready.
“I felt like a kid about to debut in the Major Leagues, honestly super anxious like I had never played here before,” Acuña said in Spanish. “This sport is my life and my passion, so I think that is why I was so happy.”
But Acuña has played in Miami before; in fact, he won the World Baseball Classic for his country earlier this year on March 17. Although, it was also the site for one of the toughest moments of his career.
Acuña tore his right ACL, which ended his season at loanDepot park in 2021, after attempting to catch a fly ball in right field. He also underwent season-ending left ACL surgery in 2024.
“It brought back so many memories and fond feelings and honestly, I am happy to be back here,” Acuña said.
The Braves reinstated Acuña from the 10-day injured list ahead of the opener of a four-game series, and he was available to pinch-hit but wasn't called on in the lopsided loss.
The five-time All-Star has been ready to return since the third day after being placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain on May 2 against the Rockies while running to first base on a grounder to second.
“I had to follow the protocol with that type of injury,” Acuña said. “One can see it as a minor thing, but that can cost you the whole season. But with more experience and being smarter about it, [I was patient], so now we feel good.”
The club had been targeting Tuesday for Acuña’s activation to face Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett, but after the outfielder looked good during Monday’s workout, the Braves decided to accelerate the timeline.
“He'll play tomorrow, but now he's not gonna play every day, the first few days … we're going to take it day by day,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He might have a day off or maybe there's DH, or … [be] available off the bench, that might be Ronald, but he's going to start tomorrow.”
As a corresponding move, the Braves placed infielder Kyle Farmer on the 10-day injured list with a strained right forearm ahead of the series. An MRI confirmed the strain, an issue he has been battling for some time.
“Once we [knew] we were going to be short-handed,” Weiss said, “we said, ‘We're going to do it tomorrow, [so] we'll just activate Acuña before the game here and have him available for a possible pinch-hit late.’”
The 2023 National League MVP was slashing .252/.362/.378 before the injury, hitting leadoff for a team that leads MLB in hits (430) and slugging (.439), is tied for first in batting average (.263) and is second in RBIs (245) and runs (250).
That team combined for four hits against the Marlins on Monday. But Acuña continues to trust the team – which owns the most wins in MLB with a 32-16 record – he has seen from the dugout these past few weeks.
“The team has done a great job, but it's about them staying healthy and keep doing what he have been doing since the start of the season, which is the most important thing.” Acuña said.