Atlanta Braves outfielder and 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after an MRI revealed a torn ACL in his left knee, the club announced Sunday.
Acuña sustained the injury during Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with what the team initially called knee soreness.
Acuña’s knee appeared to buckle when he attempted to steal third base following his leadoff double. He immediately collapsed to the ground and gingerly walked off the field with the help of training staff.
(Video source: MLB.com)
This is the second major knee injury of Acuña’s career. The 26-year-old missed a large chunk of the 2021 campaign and Atlanta’s run to the World Series with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Acuña said postgame that he initially thought the injury was similar to a mild ACL sprain he sustained in 2018 that forced him to miss a month of action, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
The Braves could turn to Adam Duvall to patrol right field in Acuña’s absence. Michael Harris II is entrenched as the center fielder, while Jarred Kelenic has regularly played left field.
Acuña finishes the season with four home runs, 15 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases across 49 games.
This is the second season-ending injury to a Braves star after ace Spencer Strider underwent elbow surgery in April.
