Ronald Acuna Jr. to Lead Off for Braves After Elbow Injury on Intentional HBP

Atlanta Braves shortstop Ronald Acuna Jr. will bat first in the team's game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, per Kelsey Wingert of Fox Sports South, just a day removed from taking a pitch to the elbow against the Miami Marlins.

Marlins pitcher Jose Urena struck Acuna with a fastball in the first inning on Wednesday.

Acuna came into the contest with home runs in five straight games, and the pitch was clearly deemed intentional by the umpires, who ejected Urena.

Acuna didn't finish the game, though X-rays after the contest came back negative, per the Associated Press. And his teammates, understandably, were not happy with Urena.

"He's been swinging the ball incredibly well, obviously," Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said of Acuna, per the AP. "It just makes no sense. It was just completely classless on Jose Urena's part."

"I'm not sure I've ever felt like that in a baseball uniform," Braves manager Brian Snitker added. "[Acuna] didn't deserve that. ... I've had three hours to calm down and all of a sudden I'm not real good right now."

The general consensus around baseball was that Urena's beaning was absolutely uncalled for: 

"It seemed pretty blatant to me," New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, per Do-Hyoung Park and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. "You know, I hate that. I'll just kind of leave it at that. It had a bad look."

"Look, I don't know if it was intentional or not. I saw what I saw," Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash added. "You'd hate to see any player, young player, veteran player, that's having success and going about it the right way. You don't want to see anybody get hurt to the point they're taken out of the ballgame."

Acuna, 20, is hitting .288 with 19 homers, 43 RBI, 49 runs and eight stolen bases this season. He's a crucial figure for a Braves team battling for an NL East title and a postseason berth. Thankfully for the Braves, it appears he won't miss any time after being struck by Urena's fastball.