Braves Make Ronald Acuna Jr. Move After Austin Riley News

Braves Make Ronald Acuna Jr. Move After Austin Riley News originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Ronald Acuna Jr. is in his eighth MLB season, having debuted in 2018 and immediately dominating opposing pitching on the way to National League Rookie of the Year honors.

Since then, despite suffering multiple ACL tears, he has established himself as one of baseball’s most exciting talents—capturing the NL MVP Award in 2023 and earning five All-Star Game selections. He also etched his name into the record books that year, becoming the first player ever to record at least 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season.

The 27-year-old superstar got off to a scorching start in 2025, though his team has endured a disappointing year, decimated by injuries to multiple key contributors.

During Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Braves announced that third baseman Austin Riley left the contest early with lower abdominal tightness and was placed on the injured list Sunday morning with a right abdominal strain.

To reintroduce power, Atlanta dropped Acuna two spots in the batting order to third—the spot Riley occupied throughout July and the lowest slot Acuna has hit all year.

Today's lineup vs. the Cardinals!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/zOSpxDyZla

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 12, 2025

Through 43 games this season, Acuna has already hit 11 home runs, swiped four bases and is batting .333 with a 1.040 OPS.

Despite his individual excellence, the Braves sit at 41–52, ten games back of the third NL wild-card spot. Consequently, Acuna’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, but Atlanta’s front office has made it emphatically clear that they have no intention of trading their franchise cornerstone.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.