Saturday should have been a cause for celebration for the Atlanta Braves. With their victory over the Marlins, they were finally back to .500, drawing ever closer in the chase for the NL East. Instead, it was a day of concern, as they may have lost superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. to a serious injury.
Acuna landed awkwardly when he slammed into the wall while trying to catch a drive off the bat of Jazz Chisholm. His right leg crumbled as he fell to the ground, eventually requiring a cart to exit the field.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has to be carted off the field after suffering an injury to his right knee or leg. pic.twitter.com/mXrjIBAs6V
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 10, 2021
Atlanta Braves suffer potentially crushing blow with Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury
This is one of the last things that any baseball fan, let alone Braves fan, wants to see. Regardless of one’s rooting interests, Acuna had established himself as one of the best young players in the game, a special talent who would help lead Major League Baseball for the next decade.
The Braves’ dynamic leadoff hitter was in the midst of another special season when this injury happened. Heading into Saturday, he had posted a stellar .281/.392/.593 batting line, hitting 24 homers and stealing 16 bases. Acuna led the majors with 71 runs scored as he was a true weapon for Atlanta.
At 23 years old, he has seemingly just begun to scratch the surface of his potential. Acuna is already a two time All Star and won a Silver Slugger award in 2019 and 2020. One of the great power and speed threats in the game, he is seemingly on the verge of being a perennial MVP candidate, a key piece for the Braves for years to come.
No one wants to see any player suffer a severe injury, let alone an incredible talent such as Acuna. Hopefully, it will not be as bad as it looked, and he will be able to return to form quickly. Not only do the Braves need him back as soon as possible if they hope to contend this year, but MLB needs one of its bright young stars back as well.
The Atlanta Braves may have suffered a crushing blow with Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury. Hopefully, it is not as bad as it looked when it happened.