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The Atlanta Braves are officially heading back to the MLB playoffs. Atlanta clinched its seventh division title in the past nine years over the weekend, and their push in September has largely been fueled by the face of the franchise, right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
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The 28-year-old has missed time this season due to a recurring left hamstring strain, which has definitely played a role in limiting his overall numbers.
However, over his past 19 games Acuña has reverted back to his 2023 form when he won the National League MVP. He has posted a .338 batting average, .383 on-base percentage, 1.072 OPS, seven home runs and 19 RBIs during that stretch.
During Tuesday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, Acuña exited the game mid at-bat after fouling a ball off his left leg. He was replaced by Brewer Hicklen and it was not a good sight for Braves fans given how quickly the playoffs are approaching.
Acuña underwent X-rays that came back negative and was ruled day-to-day moving forward. He was held out of Wednesday’s lineup against the Reds with Hicklen once again stepping in for him in right field.
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However, Acuña continued to downplay the issue when speaking with reporters, saying he wanted to immediately return to the field but that manager Walt Weiss decided against it and wanted to give him an extra day off to recover (h/t Jesus Cano of The Athletic).
Ronald Acuña Jr. is out of the lineup today — but said he’s available to come off the bench if needed. He is expected to be back in the lineup Thursday.
— Jesús Cano (@Jesus_Cano88) September 23, 2026
It is easy to see why. The Braves are likely heading into a wild card round regardless of what happens over the final five games, and the priority is making sure Acuña is fully available for that rather than pushing him now.
He should still be available off the bench if needed and is expected to return to the starting nine on Thursday.
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