Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
O Braves announced the injury on Sunday night after he underwent an MRI. He will miss the remainder of the season.
The injury occurred when Acuña took the lead on the second base paths in the first inning of Atlanta’s 8-1 victory. He fell to the grass in obvious pain and grabbed his left leg. He remained on the ground for several moments while being tended to by trainers before finally limping off the field.
Acuña was injured in the first half of the first round of a scoreless game. He reached base with a leadoff double, then suffered the injury while trying to steal third base. The Braves came out of Sunday’s game with the third-best record in the NL at 30-20, six games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (38-16) in the NL East.
Big blow for Acuña, Braves
Acuña, 26, is a four-time All-Star and the reigning National League MVP. He led the league in runs, hits, stolen bases and on-base percentage in 2023, while slashing .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI, 149 runs scored and 73 stolen bases. In 48 games this season, he slashed .246/.348/.356 with four home runs, 15 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
The ACL tear is the second of Acuña’s career. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2021 after jumping to make a play in the outfield. Acuña also suffered an ACL sprain in 2018 and was upbeat after the game on Sunday as he had suffered another. He told reporters he didn’t feel a pop as with his previous ACL tear and that he would not be surprised if it was away for a month. Instead, he suffered the second season-ending injury of his seven-season MLB career.
Acuña’s injury is the second season-altering injury for a Braves team that entered the season hoping to compete for its second World Series win in four seasons. All-Star starter Spencer Strider pitched just two games before undergoing season-ending internal surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Strider finished fourth in last year’s Cy Young voting and was among the preseason favorites to compete for the award this year.
Now the Braves need to regroup without their preseason Cy Young and MVP candidates.
