This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ATLANTA -- Most players need a few days and maybe even a couple of weeks to begin benefitting from a swing or stance adjustment. Ronald Acuña Jr. needed just a few hours.
“In Ronald’s case, you could see it immediately,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He’s a freakish athlete with crazy talent. So, he’s a little bit different. But man, he’s fun to watch when he’s going like this.”
The only thing that’s slowed Acuña over the past few weeks is the foul ball that forced him to exit Tuesday night’s game with a bruised left shin. Fortunately, X-rays and a CT scan showed no fracture. So, the dynamic outfielder might not miss more than a couple days.
Acuña entered Tuesday night’s game against the Reds with MLB’s second-best OPS (1.119) going back to Aug. 28, the day he adjusted his stance. His surge has enhanced excitement about what he could do for the National League East champion Braves during the postseason.
“When he is healthy and he gets on one of these streaks, he’s one of the best players in baseball,” Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies said. “There's nothing else to say about that.”
Acuña was far from the best when Weiss decided to keep the veteran outfielder out of the lineup for an Aug. 27 game against the Dodgers. The five-time All-Star was hitting .228 with 13 homers and a .732 OPS through 81 games of a season plagued by two separate left hamstring strains.
After leaving the stadium that night, a frustrated Acuña sent Braves Major League coach Eddie Pérez a text message saying he wanted to take early batting practice the next afternoon. It was during this session that the Venezuelan veteran backed off the plate a couple of inches, separated his feet another few inches and closed his stance.
The combination of these alterations created a stance very similar to the one Acuña used during his 2023 NL MVP season.
Acuña looked lost during this season’s first few months. Along with attempting to find a comfortable and effective stance, he was attempting to grow more confident about his two surgically repaired knees. He tore his right ACL in 2021 and his left ACL in 2024.
From Opening Day through the end of April, Acuña’s stance dimensions were:
Depth in box: 31.3 in. (distance from the front end of home plate to the batter’s center of mass)
Distance from plate: 25.3 in.
Distance between feet: 31.6 in.
Stance angle: 34 degrees open
We saw the open stance in Spring Training and during the World Baseball Classic. But his decision to open his left side and stand deeper in the box didn’t net good results. He homered twice and had a .740 OPS in the 34 games he played before straining his left hamstring on May 2.
When Acuña returned a few weeks later, he closed his stance (20 degrees) and slightly widened the distance between his feet (33.5 inches). He had some encouraging results, but he went back on the IL with another hamstring strain on June 10.
When Acuña returned again on July 27, he further closed his stance and widened his feet another inch.
Depth in box: 30 in.
Distance from plate: 25.3 in.
Distance between feet: 34.4 in.
Stance angle: 14 degrees open
Still, the results weren’t there. He hit .188 with six homers and a .614 OPS in his first 28 games back from the injured list. It was at this point Weiss decided to sit his superstar for the series finale against the Dodgers.
“If I'm giving you a day, you're probably struggling a little bit,” Weiss said. “So it's a good time to get a workday too. I think they used it well.”
Here’s how Acuña has aligned himself in the box while providing MVP-caliber protection going back to Aug. 28:
Depth in box: 29 in.
Distance off plate: 27.4 in.
Distance between feet: 36.4 in.
Stance angle: 12 degrees
This is far more similar to the stance he used during his 2023 season. There were attempts throughout the season to get him back to this stance, which features a wider base and a more closed setup. But Acuña struggled to get comfortable while also remaining confident in the stability of his knees.
2023 stance:
Depth in box: 28.8 in.
Distance off plate: 27.9 in.
Distance between feet: 34.5 in.
Stance angle: 12 degrees open
With this latest stance, Acuña has hit .368 with seven homers -- one every 12.4 at-bats -- and a 1.107 OPS. His 15.5% barrel rate is up from 12.1% before Aug. 28, while his 26.5% whiff rate is down from 30.1%.
One big difference has been Acuña’s success against heaters.
Before Aug. 28
vs. 4-seam: .119 BA (12-for-101), 32.4% whiff rate
vs. 95 mph+ 4-seam: .119 BA (7-for-59), 31.8% whiff rate
Since Aug. 28
vs. 4-seam: .469 (15-for-32), 27.2% whiff rate
vs. 95 mph+ 4-seam: .571 (8-for-14), 34.3% whiff rate
“Finally, I have my timing,” Acuña said. “I’m just having fun out there.”