What a comeback! What an entrance into the new season — arriving toward the end of May to spark an offense that desperately needed awakening. Ronald Acuña Jr. exceeded the expectations of many fans across Braves Country after a miraculous full recovery from nearly a year on the IL due to the ACL tear he […]
What a comeback! What an entrance into the new season — arriving toward the end of May to spark an offense that desperately needed awakening. Ronald Acuña Jr. exceeded the expectations of many fans across Braves Country after a miraculous full recovery from nearly a year on the IL due to the ACL tear he suffered in the 2024 season. His 2025 performance was truly a bounce-back, giving the Atlanta Braves the hope they needed to carry the season out.
How Acquired
Arriving from Venezuela, Acuña had clear talent as one of the top baseball prospects in 2014, yet he was overlooked by various international teams when he became eligible. He wasn’t exactly what they were looking for at the time due to his size, swing ability, and overall physical stature, leading them to miscalculate the future success he would ultimately bring to Atlanta.
International scout Rolando Petit, however, recognized a deeper level of talent the Braves could develop, and soon other teams began to take notice as well. In 2014, Acuña was signed as an international free agent with a $100,000 bonus and later made his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds on April 25, 2018.
What were the expectations?
Success.
It’s fair to say that everyone’s expectations were extremely high after Acuña’s closely observed rehab stints. Fans were eager for his return after enduring the offensive woes of the Atlanta Braves’ production in 2025. There was some apprehension, especially since Braves’ ace Spencer Strider had returned from the IL about a month earlier with results that weren’t exactly favorable, particularly in the early stages of his comeback.
There were discussions that the now 28-year-old outfielder might face similar struggles and take time to return to full form. Not only did it take little to no time once he was cleared to play against the San Diego Padres, but he also crushed a 467-foot homer on the very first pitch he saw.
2025 Results
If you were hiding under a rock and not witnessing the greatness of Acuña this year, the stats and results alone speak for themselves.
He finished the season with a .935 OPS, a 3.0 WAR (Baseball Reference), a 3.5 WAR (FanGraphs)—confirming he’s an above-average player, and a 161 wRC+, meaning he produced 61% more runs than the average hitter.
And let’s not forget his defensive prowess. People are still talking about that cannon of a throw that resulted in an inning-ending double play against the Yankees back in July.
All of this earned him the title of National League Comeback Player of the Year, along with his fifth selection as a starter on the National League All-Star team.
What went right?
Starting with the rehabilitation process, the team wanted to ensure that his long-term success remained the primary focus. Emphasizing core strength and refining his overall approach, particularly learning to be more selective when stealing bases, resulted in a successful comeback that reminded fans of peak 2023 Acuña.
What went wrong?
It was announced on July 30th that Acuña would be placed on the 10-day IL due to a Grade 1 calf strain in his right Achilles. He showed some discomfort during a play against the Kansas City Royals, and although he wanted to stay in the game, he exited early to avoid further aggravating the injury. It wasn’t ideal news for the team to lose their star player, but the positive takeaway was that it wasn’t a tear, meaning he wouldn’t be sidelined for the rest of the season or risk carrying the injury into 2026.
2026 Outlook
After a year of lineup shuffling and being removed from the leadoff spot in July, the Braves’ new head coach, Walt Weiss, announced that he is open to Acuña batting leadoff again in 2026. In fact, the word he used was “enticing,” according to MLB writer Mark Bowman.
“It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order,” Weiss said. “I really like when a lineup turns over, and there’s teeth right away. If you’re a pitcher, you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as the lineup turns over,” per MLB.com.
As for the rest of the 2026 expectations, there’s a lot to look forward to. Fans—and likely the team as well—are expecting Acuña to have a healthy season after finishing one, and to continue building on the stunning comeback year he delivered in 2025.
Category: General Sports
