ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim returned to Atlanta on Tuesday. Well, suburban Atlanta.
Both veterans extended their Minor League rehab assignments in Triple-A Gwinnett’s 7-4 loss to Iowa on Tuesday night at Gwinnett Field. Joining them in the Stripers’ lineup was 2012 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.
Acuña singled to begin the bottom of the first inning and then went hitless in his other three at-bats. This marked the second straight game he played right field. The Braves are being cautious as he recovers from his second left hamstring strain of the season.
There is a chance Acuña will be activated at some point this week. He is 2-for-9 (.222) with no extra-base hits in the three games he has played for Gwinnett this season. The 2023 NL MVP hit a grand slam while serving as the designated hitter in three games for the Rookie-level FCL Braves last week.
"A lot of that is just dictated by how Ronald looks, how he performs," Braves manager Walt Weiss said after their 8-3 loss to the Padres. "When we get him here, we want him to hit the ground running. We want him to be the force that he always is and not try to find his timing for a week or 10 days before it clicks. So a lot of it is just based on what it looks like down there on the rehab assignment."
The Braves gave away Kim bobblehead dolls to the first 15,000 fans who attended Tuesday night’s game against the Padres at Truist Park. About 35 miles northeast, the shortstop was trying to distance himself from the struggles he has experienced since signing a one-year, $20 million deal this winter.
Kim doubled in the first inning and went hitless in his other three at-bats on Tuesday. Three of the four balls he put in play were hit 95.9 mph or harder.
Six of the 11 balls he’s put in play for Gwinnett in four games have been hit 98.5 mph or harder. Just six of the 49 balls he put in play for Atlanta this season were hit that hard.
Kim’s rehab stint runs through Aug. 1, so the Braves could allow him to keep playing for Gwinnett through next week before making a decision about whether to keep him around or possibly attempt to trade him.
McCutchen signed a Minor League deal with the Braves last month and is just trying to show he can be an asset for a big league team. The veteran outfielder went hitless in three at-bats on Tuesday. He played for the FCL Braves last week and was promoted to Triple-A on Tuesday.
Mike Yastrzemski’s return from the injured list led the Braves to release Kyle Farmer on Tuesday afternoon. A couple other roster-related decisions will soon have to be made regarding Acuña and Kim.
Farmer experienced the thrill of playing for his hometown team this year. But he totaled just 17 plate appearances, with two of those coming since May 15. So despite Farmer being an incredibly strong clubhouse presence, it was easy to part ways with him to create a roster spot for Yastrzemski.
When Acuña makes his expected return from the injured list this week, outfielder Brewer Hicklen might be the odd man out. Hicklen is 5-for-14 since joining Atlanta’s roster earlier this month. But he doesn’t provide as much with his legs or glove as Eli White, who has a .756 OPS and a 18.5 at-bats/home run ratio against left-handed pitchers.
The most interesting decision will center on Kim, who is 4-for-15 (.267) with three doubles through four rehab games for Gwinnett. Kim tore a right middle finger tendon when he slipped on ice a couple weeks after signing his deal with the Braves. He missed the season’s first six weeks and then hit .068 (5-for-73) before the Braves put him on the IL on July 4.
Even if Kim starts to create optimism offensively, Mauricio Dubón and Jim Jarvis appear to be the better defensive options at the shortstop position.