Ronald Acuna Jr. Rumors: Braves Targeting May 6 for Star's Return from ACL Injury
April 16, 2022
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is reportedly on track to return to game action in a few weeks.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Braves are "loosely" targeting Acuna's season debut to occur May 6, which is the start of a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers:
Rosenthal added that Acuna could begin a minor league rehab assignment as soon as Tuesday.
Acuna suffered a torn ACL last July that ended his 2021 season. The Braves announced April 4 that he would start the 2022 season on the injured list as he continued his recovery.
Prior to his injury, Acuna looked well on his way to an MVP-caliber season. He was leading the majors with 72 runs scored and was elected to the All-Star Game for the second time in his young career. The 24-year-old batted .283 with 24 home runs, 84 hits, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 82 games.
Despite Acuna's injury, the Braves won the National League East for the fourth straight season and made a surprising postseason run that culminated in a World Series victory. Atlanta took down the Houston Astros in six games for its first title since 1995.
When healthy, Acuna is one of the brightest stars in all of baseball. He earned the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2018 and was named an All-Star the following year when he led the NL in stolen bases. He also won two Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020.
Without Acuna in the lineup, the Braves have been relying on Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna to carry the load offensively, but Acuna may soon be back to make Atlanta's already-potent lineup even more dangerous.
