No, Atlanta Braves fans, you don’t want to see Ronald Acuna in 2017
Why to let him rest
Acuna suffered an injury to his thumb/wrist in early May of 2016. It kept him out of play until late August, costing him nearly all of three months in a five-month season. To make up for the lost time in 2016, Acuna went to fall instructs to get time at the plate and work on his swing. He then went to the Australian Baseball League, almost immediately from fall instructs.
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Acuna was the hit of major league spring training, spending almost the entirety of spring training with the major league club, especially with the loss of players to the World Baseball Classic for a time, but he showed while he was in the lineup that he deserved to remain there.
On the season, Acuna has led all minor league players in games played with 139, plate appearances with 612, at bats with 557, and hits with 181, indicating just how much he’s played this season, after essentially playing straight through starting when he returned to rehab in late August of 2016.
While Atlanta Braves fans may be getting a bit jumpy, especially after division rival Washington called up their top outfield prospect, Victor Robles, Acuna certainly needs the rest and can use the time to recover some before heading to the Arizona Fall League.
Next: Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown
No, their position has not changed regarding Acuna
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 8, 2017
As fans have been clamoring for Acuna, Atlanta Braves beat writers Mark Bowman (above tweet) and David O’Brien have been outlining that the team has no interest in bringing up Acuna for a number of different reasons.
As a fan, it is difficult to struggle through the tough times in a season, and the second half has been tough for the Braves, but rather than exposing a likely-tired Acuna to the possibility of injury by over-exerting himself while he’s running on fumes (see what happened to Robert Whalen last season for how well that goes at the big league level). Instead, let Acuna show himself in the AFL and impact the 2018 team!