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Ronald Acuna

Ronald Acuna Jr. Suffers Foot Injury, Could Be Headed To 10-Day IL

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Ronald Acuna Jr. fouled a ball off his left foot during Saturday’s game, and the injury eventually forced the Braves star to leave the lineup.  While x-rays were negative, Acuna told reporters (including ESPN’s Marly Rivera) today that a trip to the 10-day injured list is a possibility “because I can’t put any weight on my foot.”  To this end, Acuna had to use a scooter to get around the clubhouse today, though he wasn’t wearing a protective boot.

The Braves don’t play on Monday, so the team might take an extra 48 hours to evaluate Acuna to see if an IL stint is indeed necessary.  However, it is probably likely that the Braves play it safe and put Acuna on the injured list, given his health history and his import to Atlanta’s lineup.

It has been almost two full months since Acuna was activated from the injured list, after his right ACL tear prematurely ended his 2021 season last July.  Acuna has hit .281/.372/.455 with seven home runs over 196 plate appearances in 2022 — well above-average numbers, though actually a step behind the MVP-level production Acuna generated in 2018-21.  The Braves eased Acuna back into action with some DH days early in his return, though he has played his last 20 games in right field.

If Acuna does have to visit the IL, it will further hamper an Atlanta club that is already missing Ozzie Albies due to foot surgery.  On the plus side, the Braves have been able to get by just fine without Albies, as they are baseball’s hottest team in June — Atlanta is 19-4 this month, heading into tonight’s game with the Dodgers.  With Acuna out, the Braves could give Guillermo Heredia more playing time, or use Marcell Ozuna more as a corner outfielder than as a designated hitter.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Day-To-Day With Groin Injury

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Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. has missed his team’s last three games with a right groin injury suffered in Tuesday’s game with the Red Sox, but it doesn’t appear to be a significant issue.  After undergoing an MRI today, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) that imaging revealed “nothing big” about the injury.

“It’s the best news possible….He’s just going to be day to day,” Snitker said.  “I don’t know how long it will be.  But there’s nothing from the MRI that showed he’s going to be shut down.”

In other positive news, Snitker said that Acuna’s issues are just with his groin, not with the ACL that was torn last July.  Acuna has played in only 10 games since returning from that long injury rehab, but hasn’t missed a beat in hitting .282/.391/.487 over 46 plate appearances.

It’s possible Acuna could be back in Atlanta’s lineup for Monday’s game against the Brewers, as Snitker indicated that the outfielder probably won’t play on Sunday.  Bowman noted that the team doesn’t yet seem to be considering a trip to the 10-day injured list, though one would imagine if Acuna was still unavailable Monday, the Braves might make a move to keep them from being shorthanded for yet another game.

The silver lining of Acuna’s absence is that Travis Demeritte and William Contreras have both been on a tear at the plate, but naturally Atlanta needs Acuna back healthy as quickly as possible.  Shared struggles from Adam Duvall, Marcell Ozuna, and (the injured) Eddie Rosario have meant that the Braves haven’t gotten much from their outfield mix this season.  Braves outfielders have combined for -0.7 fWAR this season, tied with the A’s for the lowest total among outfield corps in the majors.

Braves Activate Ronald Acuna Jr., Designate Alex Dickerson

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Ronald Acuna Jr. is back. The Braves announced this morning that they’ve reinstated their star outfielder from the 10-day injured list — the culmination of a nine-and-a-half-month rehabilitation process following an ACL tear sustained last July. It’s a bit of a surprise, as the Braves had been targeting a May 6 return according to manager Brian Snitker, though Snitker acknowledged at the time of that statement that the date was not set in stone. In a corresponding roster move, Atlanta has designated outfielder Alex Dickerson for assignment.

The 24-year-old Acuna is one of the game’s most dynamic talents and effectively has been since the moment he reached the Majors as a 21-year-old in 2018. Shaking off a rough couple of weeks to begin that original MLB promotion, Acuna went on an absolute tear and finished out the ’18 campaign as the near-unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, claiming 27 of 30 first-place votes (with two going to Juan Soto and one going to Walker Buehler).

Acuna slugged 26 homers and swiped 16 bases as a rookie, hitting at a .293/.366/.552 clip along the way. He’s kept that pace in the three seasons since that time, and will come off the injured list looking to build on a .281/.376/.549 career batting line and add to his already impressive total of 105 big league home runs (to say nothing of 78 doubles, seven triples and 78 steals).

While some fans may worry that Acuna is being rushed back to the big leagues, he certainly hasn’t shown any rust in his limited work with Triple-A Gwinnett so far. It’s only six games and 25 plate appearances, but Acuna is 7-for-19 with a double, six walks and three stolen bases (in three tries), which certainly paints the picture of someone whose major knee injury is firmly behind him. And, given that the Braves’ outfield is producing — or rather, failing to produce — at an alarming level, Atlanta brass has opted to proactively make a move to inject some life into the offense.

Marcell Ozuna has gotten out to a nice start in left field, hitting .257/.291/.486 with four homers and five doubles on the year. It’s a bit light in the OBP department, but the power production has generally offset Ozuna’s lack of walks. The rest of the Atlanta outfield, however, has been nothing short of a disaster. Adam Duvall is hitting .197/.250/.258 in 72 plate appearances. Eddie Rosario batted .068/.163/.091 in 49 plate appearances before undergoing an eye procedure that’ll sideline him for up to 12 weeks. Guillermo Heredia is hitting .158/.273/.368 in 22 plate appearances. The Braves have gotten some production in small samples from infielder-turned-utilityman Orlando Arcia and former prospect Travis Demeritte, but it’s clear that the current group wasn’t sufficient for a team with designs on defending a World Series championship.

Dickerson, at whose expense Acuna is returning, was also a notable culprit when it comes to the Braves’ general lack of offense. Signed late in spring to a one-year deal, he’s been used primarily as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching but has gone just 4-for-33 with one extra-base hit (a homer) while punching out in a quarter of his 36 plate appearances.

The 31-year-old Dickerson has generally been a productive hitter in his big league career when healthy, though that health caveat has loomed large. Dickerson was out for the entirety of the 2017-18 seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery and back surgery, and he’s spent considerable time on the injured list even during his active seasons. Dating back to the 2019 campaign, he’s been sent to the injured list with wrist, shoulder, oblique, hamstring and back injuries.

Dickerson was a revelation for the 2019-20 Giants after going from San Diego to San Francisco in exchange for minor league reliever Franklin Van Gurp. In 341 plate appearances with the Giants over those two seasons, he raked at a .294/.361/.552 clip, mashing 16 home runs, 23 doubles and four triples while walking at a solid 8.5% clip and striking out in 19.1% of his plate appearances (a good bit south of the league average). Dickerson’s 2021 season, however, included a trio of IL stints due to a shoulder strain, a back strain and a hamstring strain. He posted a diminished .233/.304/.420 slash last season and has yet to right the ship so far in 2022.

The Braves will have a week to trade Dickerson, place him on outright waivers or release him. Given his track record and an affordable $1MM salary on his 2022 contract, it’s possible another club will take a look. It’s equally, if not more plausible, however, that teams will simply wait for Dickerson to clear waivers and hope to sign him as a free agent. Because he has more than five years of MLB service time, Dickerson can reject an assignment to the minors upon clearing waivers and still retain his salary.

Injury Notes: Acuna, Flaherty, Lewis

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The Braves got a huge boost today, with superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. returning to the team and the lineup after an absence of over nine months due to an ACL tear last year. However, the club will still be trying to gradually ramp things up for him, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic, who relays word from manager Brian Snitker. Acuna will reportedly have something less than a full workload, getting occasional days in the designated hitter slot or sitting out day games after night games or missing games after playing and traveling the same day. This plan is intended to go until July 22, which is all fairly sensible given that Acuna is incredibly valuable to the team and is coming off a long layoff from a very serious injury. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Snitker also said the situation is fluid and will be re-evaluated daily. Acuna’s already beaten a timeline in his rehab once, as the club was targeting a May 6 return, but he’s back in the lineup tonight and has already stolen two bases, tying himself for the team lead on the year. No one should be surprised if he alters the plan and finds a way to take the reins off sooner rather than later. In fact, he might not even be aware of the plan, as he had this to say about the idea of him sitting on Friday: “I don’t know who said the plan was for me not to play. The way I’m looking at it is, I’m playing tomorrow. So I guess we’ll see what happens.” O’Brien later clarified that the club did tell Acuna about the plan, but he was too excited about his return to hear it. (Twitter links)

Some other health updates from around the league:

  • Cardinals righty Jack Flaherty is making progress towards a return, as manager Oliver Marmol tells Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat that Flaherty will throw off a mound in the second week of May. He’s been dealing with an ailing shoulder since Spring Training began, the same shoulder that put him on the shelf for about a month last year. The club has been able to weather his absence so far, starting the season 11-7. The rotation has four pillars in Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson and Steven Matz, but one wild card in Jordan Hicks. After working exclusively as a reliever since his MLB debut in 2018, Hicks has made two starts recently, throwing 46 pitches over 3 innings in the first outing, followed by 42 pitches over 2 innings in the second. Time will tell if this transition will work out, but there’s no question a healthy Flaherty will improve things, either by sending Hicks back to the bullpen or covering for an injury to someone else down the line. In 2019, he threw 196 1/3 innings with a 2.75 ERA, 29.9% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate, coming in fourth in NL Cy Young voting that year.
  • It’s been almost a year since Kyle Lewis has played a major league game, with his last appearance coming May 31 of last year. A torn meniscus ended his season, with Lewis hitting many obstacles on the road to recovery since then. In a sign of progress, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto tells Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that Lewis is now participating in games at extended spring training, both playing in the outfield and slotting into the designated hitter role. None of the Mariners’ three regular outfielders are off to a blazing start to the season, as Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic and Jesse Winker each have a wRC+ between 54 and 77. (League average is 100.) Mitch Haniger was also off to a sluggish start before being sidelined by a positive Covid test. If Lewis can get back to his pre-injury form, he’d provide a boost to the lineup, as his career batting line is .258/.343/.450, 121 wRC+.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Tentatively Set To Return On May 6

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The Braves have set May 6 as a potential target date for Ronald Acuna Jr.’s return to the active roster, though manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including The Athletic’s David O’Brien) that there is plenty of flexibility built into that plan.  Acuna is thus far three games into his minor league rehab assignment.

“Next week will be big because I think he’s scheduled to go lengthy defensive games, like 3 out of 4 days, something like that,” Snitker said.  “At the end of next week they’ll have a really good read on probably where his body is.”

Acuna tore his right ACL last July 10, so it will be just shy of a 10-month absence if he does make his return for the May 6 game against the Brewers.  Despite the severity of the injury and the obvious caution the Braves have taken with their superstar, Acuna’s rehab has gone about as smoothly as possible.  Snitker even intimated that if Acuna’s next week of action goes particularly well, the outfielder might even be back on Atlanta’s roster prior to May 6.

The defending World Series champs have a 7-8 record heading into today’s game with the Marlins, in part due to an overall lack of production from the outfield.  While Marcell Ozuna has hit well, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, Guillermo Heredia, and Alex Dickerson (who has played mostly DH), have all struggled, so Acuna’s return to the everyday right field spot should immediately shore things up.

While it may be unfair to expect Acuna to immediately pick up where he left off in 2021, even a slightly lessened version of Acuna is still one of the game’s best players.  The outfielder has done nothing but mash since debuting in 2018, and he was batting .283/.394/.596 with 24 homers in his first 360 plate appearances of the 2021 season before suffering his ACL tear.

Braves Designate Sean Newcomb For Assignment, Option Huascar Ynoa

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The Braves have designated left-hander Sean Newcomb for assignment, per a club announcement. They’ve also optioned righty Huascar Ynoa to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled right-hander Touki Toussaint and lefty Dylan Lee in place of Newcomb and Ynoa. Additionally, the Braves announced that Ronald Acuna Jr. is headed out on a minor league rehab assignment.

Newcomb’s DFA comes on the heels of a three-year downturn that have seen the starter-turned-setup-man’s effectiveness dwindle considerably. The No. 15 overall pick by the Angels back in 2014, Newcomb headlined the Braves’ return in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim. After a solid rookie showing in 2017, he looked to have broken out in 2018 when he made 30 starts and pitched to a 3.90 ERA over the life of 164 innings. Newcomb’s 23% strikeout rate was solid, but his 11.6% walk rate marked a continuation of ongoing command troubles that had plagued him dating back to his minor league days.

Despite a decent start to the 2019 season, Newcomb was optioned to Gwinnett in mid-April and returned as a reliever in early May. The new role seemed to suit him just fine, as he pitched to a 2.89 ERA with improved strikeout and walk rates (25.5% and 8.9%, respectively) in 56 innings the rest of the way. Averaging just shy of 95 mph on his heater and putting the ball on the ground on more than half of the batted balls against him, Newcomb looked the part of a quality late-inning option.

That hasn’t proven to be the case, however. Dating back to 2020, Newcomb has a 6.71 ERA in 51 big league innings and has spent some time shuttling between Gwinnett and the big leagues. He’s walked more than 15% of his opponents since Opening Day 2020, plunked another five batters and thrown seven wild pitches. Newcomb is out of minor league options, and with him yielding four runs on seven hits and four walks through just five innings (26 batters faced) to begin the season, the Braves made the choice to cut bait.

Newcomb is earning $900K this season after avoiding arbitration this past offseason. He’s still owed about $842K of that sum for the remainder of the season, and any team that claims him or acquires him via trade would be on the hook for the remainder of that sum. If a new team is able to help Newcomb right the ship, however, he’d be controllable through the 2024 season via arbitration. Given that his salary is only $200K north of the new league minimum, it’s certainly possible that another club will look to help get the once-successful southpaw back on track. The Braves will have a week to trade Newcomb, attempt to pass him through waivers or release him. If he’s released, the new signing team would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster.

As for Ynoa, he’ll remain on the 40-man roster and hope to work toward another big league shot after an awful start to the season. The former Twins prospect, acquired in the deal that briefly sent Jaime Garcia to Minnesota, had a short breakout last year when he pitched to a 3.09 ERA over an eight-start stretch that spanned 43 2/3 frames. Ynoa, however, suffered a broken hand when he punched the bench following a poor start and spent two months on the injured list. When he returned, he posted a 5.05 ERA in 46 1/3 frames, and those struggles have not only continued but escalated in 2022. So far this year, he’s made two starts, both shorter than four innings, and yielded five earned runs in each.

The news on Acuna is a welcome sight for Braves fans, as it signifies that — barring any setbacks in his rehab from last year’s ACL tear — he’ll be back with the big league club within a month’s time. Minor league rehab windows are capped at 30 days, so Acuna will be back by mid-May, health-permitting.

Ronald Acuna Jr. To Begin Rehab Assignment On Tuesday

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Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, weather permitting, per the Athletic’s David O’Brien (via Twitter).

That’s obviously great news for the Braves, who have been without their star outfielder since July 10th of last season. Acuna Jr. played in 82 games in 2021, almost exactly half the season, slashing .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs and 17 stolen bases across 360 plate appearances. When healthy, there’s little doubt that he is one of the most electrifying talents in the game.

A healthy Acuna Jr. could potentially take over in center, though the Braves preferred to use him in right field in 2021. Adam Duvall has been Atlanta’s primary centerfielder this season, and he’s held his own defensively. Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna have primarily been in the corners with Alex Dickerson, another corner outfielder, getting at-bats as the designated hitter. Someone from that group is going to lose at-bats when Acuna returns, with Dickerson the likeliest to find himself on the bench.

Braves Sign Delino DeShields To Minors Deal

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The Braves have signed outfielder Delino DeShields to a minor league deal, according to the club’s transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was recently released by the Marlins, after signing a minor league deal with them and making a brief appearance in their spring camp.

DeShields, 29, has played in each of the past seven MLB seasons, garnering praise for his speed and outfield defense, but not offering a ton at the plate. He stole 106 bases across his first five seasons while playing for the Rangers, but only hit .246/.326/.342, wRC+ of 76. Still, he was able to provide 4.8 fWAR in that time due to his contributions on the grass.

The past two seasons, he’s gone into journeyman mode, spending time in the organizations of the Guardians, Red Sox, back to the Rangers, then the Reds and Marlins. Last year, he showed a bit more promise at the plate, putting up a Triple-A line of .252/.385/.366, 101 wRC+ and an MLB line of .255/.375/.426, 115 wRC+. That big league output is easily the best of his career, though it came in a small sample of just 58 plate appearances.

For the Braves, DeShields should bolster the club’s outfield depth, which is currently centered by Adam Duvall, who only had 31 games of center field experience coming into this season. They also have defensively-challenged corner outfielders in Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna taking the field on a regular basis. That trio certainly adds a lot of pop to the lineup, but could also be giving runs back on the other side of the ball. Signing a glove-first player like DeShields will give them the ability to pivot to a different approach later.

Of course, all of this is temporary, as the club is just trying to tread water in the outfield until the return of superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. He is still in the process of working his way back from last year’s torn ACL injury. According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the team is “loosely targeting” April 25 for Acuna to start a rehab assignment in the minors. Acuna was primarily a center fielder in 2019 but gradually started spending more time in right field over the past two seasons. Having a healthy Acuna in center and bumping Duvall into a corner would probably be a best case scenario. However, due to the severity of the injury and his importance to the team, the Braves will surely give Acuna some time as designated hitter and occasional off days, even after he’s eligible to rejoin the big league team. With center field generally being a more demanding position to play than the corners, it’s possible they won’t consider Acuna up the middle at all this year. With that future uncertainty, and the natural grind of a baseball season that leads to both major and minor injuries, DeShields could prove to be a useful piece for the club down the road.

Ronald Acuna Hoping To Return In May

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After suffering a torn right ACL in July, Ronald Acuna Jr. hopes that he’ll be able to return to the Braves lineup by May, ESPN’s Marly Rivera reports (Twitter link).  Acuna has been rehabbing in his native Venezuela, and for a glimpse at his progress, Rivera includes a video of Acuna taking one-handed swings during a light indoor batting practice session.

A 10-month recovery timeframe isn’t uncommon for such a severe ACL injury, though it seems as though Acuna’s timeline is still fluid.  Naturally, both Acuna and the Braves aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks in trying to rush the superstar back to the field before he’s absolutely ready, even if that May projection stretches into June or beyond.  More could be known once Acuna arrives at Atlanta’s spring camp, and manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) today that “I know the reports are really good….I guess he’s worked his rear off.”

Acuna was on his way to perhaps his finest season yet at the time of his injury, as he hit .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs over 360 plate appearances.  The Braves’ response to Acuna’s injury has already become the stuff of legend, as rather than throw in the towel after losing their superstar, the Braves instead stocked up on outfielders (Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Joc Pederson) who all hit well down the stretch, carrying Atlanta to its first World Series title since 1995.

While last season’s run was magical, there is no doubt that the Braves will be better off with Acuna back in the fold.  Duvall, Marcell Ozuna, Cristian Pache, Drew Waters, Guillermo Heredia, and Travis Demeritte comprise Atlanta’s top outfield options at the moment, so the team could try to make do with this group until Acuna is back, or perhaps look for more outfield help prior to Opening Day.

Quick Hits: Acuña, Yankees, Marlins, Pirates

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In what’s surely a welcome sight for Braves fans, superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who watched his teammates win the 2021 World Series from the dugout as he rehabbed an ACL tear, has resumed on-field batting practice in his native Venezuela (video of the session can be seen here, via Spanish-language baseball news site El Extrabase). Acuña sustained the injury in Miami in July while attempting to track down a fly ball off the bat of Jazz Chisholm into LoanDepot Park’s right field corner.

While it remains to be seen whether (or for how long) the injury might sap Acuña’s speed or explosiveness, the news marks a clear milestone in his recovery. However welcome the news, though, it isn’t clear when Acuña will be available, how he’ll be used when he does return, or what effect it will have on GM Alex Anthopoulos’ plans for the remainder of the Braves’ offseason. Regardless of Acuña’s availability, the Braves face several question marks in the outfield; of the four outfielders Anthopoulos acquired around the 2021 trade deadline (Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall), only Duvall remains under control for 2022. It’s also unclear how the club plans to handle the return of Marcell Ozuna from administrative leave or whether it views any of its three high-end outfield prospects (Cristian Pache, Drew Waters, and Michael Harris) as ready for significant big-league action.

Other notes from around the game:

  • Per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, the Yankees have promoted former big-league outfielder (and longtime minor-leaguer) Kevin Reese to the position of Vice President of Player Development.  Since retiring after spending the 2007 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Reese joined the Yankees as a minor league scout. Before this promotion, he had served as the Yankee’s Director of Professional Scouting since 2017. In an extremely small sample (16 plate appearances between 2005 and 2006), Reese posted a .385/.500/.385 batting line in the majors.
  • The Marlins announced a series of front office promotions, including DJ Svihlik to Senior Director of Amateur Scouting, Adrien Lorenzo to Senior Director of International Operations, Geoff DeGroot to Director of Player Development, and Hector Crespo to Director of Minor League Operations. The full list can be found via the club’s official announcement.
  • The Pirates announced the promotion of two minor league managers, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Miguel Perez, who managed the Double-A Altoona Curve in 2021, has been named the manager of Triple-A Indianapolis, and Kieran Mattison, who had served as manager for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, will move to Altoona in 2022. Perez spent twelve years as a catcher in the Reds system, going hitless in 3 ABs with the big-league club in 2005, while Mattison spent nine years bouncing around the minors and independent ball, including stints in the Royals’, Indians’, and Dodgers’ systems.
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