Take a look at all of the moves made by Major League Baseball teams this offseason. All of the trades. All of the free agent signings. When the season is all said and done, here’s a bold prediction: None of them will have had the impact on a team that matches what Ronald Acuña Jr. will bring to the Atlanta Braves in his return from last season’s knee injury.
Sure, it’s early in the season still. Yes, Acuña Jr. is slashing just .207/.281/.345 after his first seven games and 29 at-bats. However, he shared a reminder of what he can bring to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night by hitting his first home run since July 7, 2021.
Why the return of Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves will be the biggest addition by any MLB team this season
Last year’s knee injury suffered by Acuña on July 10 was one of the biggest reasons why the Braves rebuilt their outfield at the trade deadline, a series of moves that would eventually pave the way for Atlanta to capture its first World Series since 1995.
That was then, however, This Braves team is different, and Acuña has already brought “a different energy,” according to Atlanta pitcher Kyle Wright. It’s an energy the Braves certainly need, starting the season 12-16 and seven games behind the New York Mets in the National League East heading into Saturday’s action.
It’s also an energy that Acuña has already shown during his career that he can bring, which is one of the reasons (along with his skill set on the diamond, of course) why his addition to the Braves lineup will be the biggest offseason add of any MLB team.
Yes, Atlanta is chasing those Mets, who made plenty of pricey additions in the lineup and on the mound this offseason. Acuña is also teammates with perhaps one of the biggest storylines of the whole offseason, with Atlanta making the trade with the Oakland A’s to acquire Matt Olson, who is off to a solid start at the plate. However, when the season is over, I’m predicting that Braves fans will look back and see that having Acuña in the lineup was the straw that stirred Atlanta’s drink in 2022.
There is still plenty of season to go, and plenty of storylines to come. However, when Atlanta makes the postseason and has the chance to defend its World Series title this season, the contributions made by Acuna as the season goes along will be one of the biggest reasons why the Braves are playing meaningful baseball once again in October.