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Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. Undergoes Surgery After Suffering Torn ACL Injury
July 22, 2021
Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL on Thursday.
The injury occurred during Atlanta's July 10 road game against the Miami Marlins.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a line drive deep into right field. Acuna made a valiant leaping effort to catch but fell just short. Unfortunately, Acuna landed hard on his right leg and fell to the ground:
He tried to walk off the field on his own power but had to be carted off instead:
Prior to the injury, Acuna posted 24 home runs, 52 RBI and a .281 batting average (.985 OPS).
The 23-year-old is one of the game's brightest young stars. His four-year MLB resume includes the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year awards, two All-Star Game honors and two Silver Slugger awards. Atlanta won the National League East during each of his first three seasons.
Acuna's best season was 2019, when he led the National League with 127 runs and 37 stolen bases in addition to accumulating 41 home runs, 101 RBI and .883 OPS.
Losing him for any amount of time is a tremendous blow to the Atlanta lineup. He's one of the game's best hitters and the heartbeat of a team that has been a NL powerhouse for much of the past four years.
Atlanta will have to move on without Acuna, however, as the team searches for its fourth straight division title.