Ronald Acuña Jr. is almost back—and that sound you just heard was every Braves fan in America exhaling just a little bit. After nearly a year on the shelf with a torn ACL, the 2023 NL MVP is moving closer to rejoining Atlanta’s lineup, and even though there’s no firm date yet, the signs are finally pointing toward a May return.
Cleared to Ramp It Up
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Justin Toscano, Acuña’s been cleared to begin ramping up baseball activity in preparation for a rehab assignment.
And while there’s no hard timetable just yet, all indications are that the team’s original target—sometime next month—is still in play. That’s big. Because for a player who missed all of Spring Training and has now had ACL surgeries on both knees, every green light matters.
Braves manager Brian Snitker laid it out last week: the next step in Acuña’s return isn’t about his bat—it’s all about movement. Starting. Stopping. Cutting. That’s the final box that needs checking. He’s been standing in against live pitching and seeing velocity, but he’s not yet sprinting out of the batter’s box. That part’s coming.
Don’t Expect the Same Basepath Chaos
Here’s the twist, though—Acuña’s not planning to turn the dial up to 100 on the basepaths this year. He knows the reality: two knee surgeries means some strategic conservation is now part of the plan.
Sure, Fangraphs is still projecting a gaudy 45 steals, but let’s be honest, that’s probably more dream than data at this point. What’s more realistic? That .298/.385/.522 slash line. The 27 homers. The 75 RBIs. All that is very doable.
And even at 80% chaos mode, Acuña changes the lineup instantly. His presence alone is a problem for pitchers. He forces bad pitches, adds instant pop, and improves everyone around him.
Atlanta’s outfield has been a revolving door since he went down—pieced together with platoons and patchwork. That ends the moment he steps back into right field.
The MVP Energy Returns To the Braves
No, he won’t be stealing three bags a week. And no, he probably won’t be diving headfirst into walls on defense just yet. But Ronald Acuña Jr., at 85%, is still better than most of the league at full strength.
His timing at the plate will take a few games. His rhythm in the field might take a little longer. But make no mistake—this is a former MVP returning to a World Series contender.
