Ronald Acuña Jr. gave Braves fans something to look forward to when the star outfielder returns to the lineup.
In his first rehab game with the Braves’ Florida Complex League team, Acuña hit a home run that sailed over the center field wall, concluding the game with a 1-for-3 batting performance on Tuesday.
The Braves’ standout player smacked a solo homer in the fifth inning, leisurely jogging down the first base line, and raised his right hand in celebration as he passed first base.
He jumped up in the air as he was making his way down the third base line to home plate and high-fived another player after crossing the plate.
This game marked Acuña’s return since he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament last May in Pittsburgh. He participated in three plate appearances during the Tuesday rehab game.
Acuña came out of the game in the seventh inning, and he will have a bigger workload over time, like the Braves usually do with their players in the early stages of spring training.
Though Acuña can’t stay on a rehab stint longer than 20 days, there is an expectation that he will be back well before that and playing by the end of the month.
The Braves had announced Monday that Acuña would be starting his rehab stint down with the Braves’ Florida Complex League team when they hosted the Orioles’ Florida Complex League team at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla.
The teams said he will continue to work out and play games at the North Port, Florida, facility until he’s ready to play rehab games for one of the Braves’ other minor league teams.
Acuña was the 2023 National League MVP and had his 2024 season cut short when he suffered an ACL injury on May 26, 2024.
The Braves, who are a mediocre 21-21, will happily take any help they can get when he returns to the lineup in the coming weeks.
