BALTIMORE -- Braves manager Walt Weiss will have to wait a little bit longer to have Ronald Acuña Jr. back in his lineup.
The 2023 National League MVP was not activated for Friday’s series opener against the Orioles. And with Triple-A Gwinnett rained out on Friday, his next rehab at-bats won’t come until a Saturday doubleheader in the Minors.
“There’s a chance he’ll play both,” Weiss said. “I think it’s two [seven-inning games]. There’s a chance he’ll play both. He’ll let us know when he feels like he’s ready to go.”
In Acuña’s latest Minor League rehab game on Thursday night, the veteran outfielder went 0-for-2 with a walk in a 4-2 win over Iowa, which was called after five innings because of rain.
The quality of contact was going to be a significant variable for the Braves while assessing when to activate Acuña. Including a 98.4 mph groundout in the first inning on Thursday, nine of the 14 balls he put in play for Gwinnett had an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher.
Acuña has been sidelined since June with a left hamstring strain. He has strained his same muscle twice this year. But he showed no lingering effects as he scored from second base with a headfirst slide and also stole third base during Wednesday night’s game.
"Physically, he's good to go," Weiss said on Thursday. "This is all about him being ready to be impactful when he gets here."
On Thursday, the Braves also announced catcher Sean Murphy would begin a rehab assignment with Gwinnett. The veteran catcher hasn’t played since May 10 after fracturing his middle finger.
“It’s going to take some time,” Weiss said. “He’s been away from the game for a long time. So, he’s going to have to get quite a few at-bats, I’m sure, before he feels like he can come up here and hit the ground running. But it’s good that Murph is starting to go out and play.”
Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawvner also continued his Minor League rehab assignment in Thursday night’s game. Smith-Shawver allowed one unearned run over four-plus innings before being lifted mid-at-bat to start the fifth because of pitch count. He threw 54 of his 86 pitches for strikes, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out five.
Smith-Shawver averaged 97.5 mph on his four-seam fastball, topping out at 99.8 mph. The right-hander, who is returning from UCL surgery, will likely make at least one more start before becoming a candidate to start in Atlanta.
Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim was also in the lineup for Gwinnett on Thursday, going 0-for-1 with a pair of walks. Kim (right middle finger inflammation) has been on a rehab assignment since July 13.