Ronald Acuña Jr. is supposed to be the heartbeat of the Atlanta Braves. A five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and the 2023 NL MVP, the 27-year-old outfielder is one of the game’s most electrifying players when healthy. But health has been the nagging storyline of his career — and now, performance has joined the conversation.
Since returning from right Achilles tendon inflammation on Aug. 15, Acuña has looked like a shell of himself. In 71 at-bats since being activated, he’s hitting just .183 with one home run. That includes a staggering 1-for-29 skid entering Sunday. His slump has gotten so deep that manager Brian Snitker made a move Braves fans haven’t seen since Acuña’s rookie season: he dropped him down in the batting order.
Acuña Jr. Shifted Around the Braves Lineup
On Saturday, Acuña batted sixth — his first start outside the top four since 2018. On Sunday, Snitker pushed him even lower, to seventh. For perspective, Acuña has started 676 of his 796 career games in the leadoff spot, per Baseball Reference. He had made just five career starts batting seventh before this weekend. He has never started lower.
And here’s where it gets even stranger: Atlanta is 12 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot with just 20 games left. The season is done. This isn’t October prep, and there’s no pennant race urgency. Which begs the question: why bury your franchise cornerstone in the order now, instead of letting him work through the slump at the top?
If the Braves were contending, Snitker’s decision would at least carry a tactical explanation. But with the season lost, lineup construction should be about setting up stars like Acuña for a strong finish.
Instead, he’s being asked to climb out of his struggles while sandwiched between two other bats fighting their own battles. Marcell Ozuna — a three-time All-Star in his own right — is hitting just .146 over his last 16 games. Nacho Álvarez Jr., rounding out the order, has a .669 OPS and zero home runs in 130 at-bats. That hardly offers protection for a slumping MVP.
To Snitker’s credit, shuffling the lineup when a star is ice-cold isn’t uncommon. But in this case, the move feels more symbolic than strategic. With nothing left to play for in 2025, the Braves should be giving Ronald Acuña Jr. every chance to rediscover his swing in his natural spot — setting the tone at leadoff.
Instead, Atlanta’s biggest star is suddenly batting seventh, at the lowest point of his career, while the season fades out in silence.
